Naju-si, Geumseongsan Summit Opened Permanently for the First Time in 57 Years

The summit area of Geumseongsan, the guardian mountain of Naju City in Jeollanam-do, has returned fully to the citizens after 57 years.

Naju City announced on the 18th that it held an opening ceremony for the Geumseongsan summit hiking trail at 11 a.m. on the 17th.

The opening ceremony began with an event where about 500 citizens, who took a weekend morning hike to celebrate the permanent opening of the mountain summit for the first time in 57 years, walked together from the midway gathering point at Naktabong to the summit of Nojeokbong starting at 10:20 a.m.

The new hiking trail, which starts near Naktabong and reaches Nojeokbong, was constructed as a 585-meter-long deck path. A total project cost of 1.4 billion KRW (800 million KRW from the province, 600 million KRW from the city) was invested.

Since the trail passes through a military protection zone, only the designated hiking trail can be used.

At the mountain summit, a wooden shielding wall measuring 2.5 meters in height and 22 meters in length was installed to maintain the security of military facilities.

The shielding wall displays photos of Naju’s top 10 tourist attractions, including Geumseongsan, Geumseonggwan, Yeongsangang River’s Hwangpodotbae experience, and Bulhoe Temple, introducing the charm of Naju tourism to external hikers.

From today onward, the Geumseongsan summit hiking trail will be permanently open. From the summit, visitors can take in a panoramic view of the Yeongsangang River, the lifeline of the southern region, winding through the fertile Naju Plain.

The vast cityscape includes Naju’s original downtown, Bitgaram Innovation City, and Nampyeong-eup, with distant views of Mudeungsan to the east and Wolchulsan to the south, offering spectacular scenery.

As hikers ascend the trail, they are greeted by unique rock formations and a natural forest rich with diverse trees that were previously unseen. During the opening ceremony, the city also conducted a post-it survey to name the rock formations.

About 500 people attended the opening commemorative event held at the mountain summit, including Mayor Yoon Byung-tae, Jeollanam-do Governor Kim Young-rok, National Assemblyman Shin Jeong-hoon, City Council Chairman Lee Sang-man, local provincial and city council members, citizen groups such as the Naju Love Citizens’ Association, and other citizens.

Governor Kim Young-rok said in his congratulatory speech, "I have long known that Geumseongsan is a famous mountain, but after climbing to the summit for the first time and seeing the winding Yeongsangang River and the city at a glance, I understood why it is one of the eight famous mountains in the country. The province will actively support making Geumseongsan an optimal tourist destination where culture, tourism, and experiential healing are possible, taking advantage of the permanent opening of the summit."

Mayor Yoon Byung-tae expressed in his commemorative speech, "I sincerely thank the citizens for their long efforts that made this historic day of permanently opening the Geumseongsan summit possible after 57 years, Jeollanam-do for their wholehearted support, and the Air Force for cooperating in the installation and opening of the hiking trail."

He added, "We will strive to develop Geumseongsan, the guardian mountain of Naju, into a famous mountain loved not only by citizens but by the entire nation as a natural tourism resource by connecting the disconnected sections of the hiking trail and maintaining a pleasant environment."

Naju = Kim Yuk-bong, Honam Reporting Headquarters, Asia Economy baekok@asiae.co.kr

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