🎧 Yul's Korea Audio Guide
Seoraksan National Park
Narrated in English with Korean phrases by YUL of KVIBE IDOLS.
🎵 Background music: Letter on the Wind (바람의 편지) — KVIBE IDOLS · Listen to the full song →
Full transcript
Annyeong, yeoreobun! It's Yul. Welcome to Seoraksan, one of Korea's most beautiful mountains, near the east coast.
The name is written with characters meaning snow and great mountain, and it fits: sharp granite peaks, deep valleys, waterfalls. The highest peak, Daecheongbong, stands 1,708 meters tall. In 1970, Seoraksan became a national park, and in 1982, UNESCO named the area a Biosphere Reserve.
Now, let's ride the cable car up to Gwongeumseong, an old fortress site. Legend says two strong generals, one named Kwon and one named Kim, built a fortress up here to protect people from invaders. And they built it in just one night! That's why it's called Gwongeumseong, the Kwon-Kim fortress. In one night? Probably not. But the view is real.
At the foot of the mountain is Sinheungsa Temple. Its story goes back to the Silla kingdom, when the monk Jajang founded it in the 600s. Twist: it burned down more than once, and it was rebuilt at its present spot in the 1640s. And you can't miss the giant bronze Buddha, 14.6 meters tall, called the Great Unification Buddha. It was paid for by more than three hundred thousand donations, with a prayer for the two Koreas to be one again.
Yul's tip! Autumn foliage season, around October, is spectacular, but it's also the busiest time. Arrive early for the cable car. For a bigger adventure, hike up to Ulsanbawi rock, with more than 800 steps.
Next, let's head down to the sea, to a coffee city with a very famous mom and son. Kaja!
