President Moon Opens Cheolmun Gate at Bukaksan Mountain... First Time in 52 Years Since Kim Shin-jo Incident

17 Years of Cheongwadae Front Road and 18 Years of Inwangsan Trail Opening
Third Security Relaxation Measure Near Cheongwadae
South Side of Bugaksan Mountain Scheduled to Open in 2022

The newly opened right side of Hanyangdoseong (north side of Bukaksan)

President Moon Jae-in personally opened the iron gate of Bukaksan Mountain, which had been closed for 52 years. This marks the first time in 52 years since the 'January 21 Incident (Kim Shin-jo Incident)' in 1968, when North Korea attempted a raid on the Blue House, that access has been restricted for the general public.

On the 31st, the Blue House announced, "President Moon hiked the Bukaksan Fortress northern side trail starting at 10 a.m. with mountaineer Um Hong-gil, actress Lee Si-young, residents of Buam-dong, and government officials involved in the opening of Bukaksan."

As the government decided to open some areas of the northern side of Bukaksan, which had been restricted to the public, to citizens starting from the 1st of next month, President Moon personally climbed the trail in the opening area a day before the opening to conduct a final inspection of the preparations. The hike included Kang Shin-yong (63), a resident who has lived in Buam-dong, Jongno-gu for over 30 years, and Jung Ha-neul (17), who was born in Buam-dong.

President Moon arrived at the first entrance on the northern side of the Bukaksan Fortress (Buam-dong Rabbit Tunnel), received a report on the management status of Bukaksan from Commander Kim Do-gyun of the Capital Defense Command, received the key from a managing soldier, and opened the iron gate of Bukaksan Mountain.

Wooden stairs provided for safe movement to the gokjang

Next, President Moon moved to the Cheongundae information center, where he received explanations about the preparation process and management plans for the opening of Bukaksan from the Cultural Heritage Administration chief and the Jongno District mayor. Then, at the Cheongundae rest area, they discussed plans to open the southern side of Bukaksan scheduled for 2022.

On the way down, he naturally greeted residents who had come out for weekend hiking.

This opening of the northern side of Bukaksan is the third security relaxation measure near the Blue House under the Moon Jae-in administration, following the opening of the road in front of the Blue House in 2017 and the opening of Inwangsan trails in 2018.

Meanwhile, the opening of Bukaksan also fulfills President Moon Jae-in's promise to the public during his presidential campaign in 2017 to "fully open Bukaksan and Inwangsan to return them to the citizens." The southern side of Bukaksan is also scheduled to be opened in the first half of 2022.

With the opening of Bukaksan, the green space in downtown Seoul available for citizens to enjoy will be greatly expanded, and the long-standing wish of mountaineers will be realized. The 'Hanbuk Jeongmaek' mountain range, which extends from Chugaryeong in Baekdudaegan southward to the Han River and Imjin River, will be fully connected. It will be possible to traverse continuously from Ansan in Seodaemun-gu through Inwangsan, Bukaksan, and Bukhansan.

A panoramic view of the Gwanghwamun area as seen from the amphitheater

To open Bukaksan between the Hanyang Fortress wall and Bukak Skyway, the Presidential Security Service formed a consultative body with the Ministry of National Defense, the Cultural Heritage Administration, Seoul City, Jongno-gu, and other related agencies, and has been promoting a project to convert the existing military patrol road into a nature-friendly trail.

Demolished former military facilities and concrete patrol roads have been transformed into about 10,000 square meters of green space, some military facilities along the trail have been preserved as spaces of memory, and rest areas and restrooms for citizens have also been created.

Meanwhile, health authorities recommended individual hiking instead of group hikes and urged compliance with COVID-19 prevention rules such as maintaining a distance of more than 2 meters and wearing masks.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.