15,000 Flock to Mudeungsan Summit as It Opens to the Public for the First Time in Two Years

On the morning of the 9th, hikers are moving along the trail toward the summit of Mudeungsan Mountain, which has been opened. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

On the last day of the Chuseok holiday, which also marked the first opening of the Mudeungsan summit in two years, it was estimated that more than 15,000 people visited the mountain.

According to the Mudeungsan National Park Office on October 10, a total of about 15,000 visitors came to Mudeungsan on the 9th. Of these, around 4,000 people took the course from the columnar joints at Seoseokdae, passing through Jiwangbong and Inwangbong, and exited through the main gate of the military base.

The average daily number of visitors this year, including weekends, has been around 8,000. On the day the summit was opened, the number of visitors increased by 87.5% compared to the average. This figure is also about 50% higher than the daily average of 10,000 during the peak autumn foliage season.

This opening of the Mudeungsan summit was the first in two years since 2023, and it was held to wish for the re-certification of the UNESCO Global Geopark in 2026 and to attract the national artificial intelligence computing center.

On the morning of the 9th, visitors are taking commemorative photos in front of the Inwangbong Observatory marker at the summit of Mudeungsan Mountain. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

Access to the summit of Mudeungsan has been restricted to the public since 1966 due to the presence of a military base. Since the first opening event in 2011, which attracted around 20,000 visitors, the summit has been opened a total of 27 times through this year, with cumulative visitors reaching approximately 502,000.