'Gangwon 20s Myeongsan Certification Challenge' Resumes from March

5th Anniversary This Year, Over 300,000 Participants by Last Year
Steady Popularity Continues
Commemorative Gifts for Participants Who Certify 5 Mountains or Complete All 20 Mountains

Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province (Governor Kim Jin-tae) and Gangwon Tourism Foundation (CEO Choi Sung-hyun) announced on the 20th that they will operate the ‘Gangwon 20 Major Mountains Certification Challenge’ (hereinafter referred to as Gangwon Mountain Challenge) from March to November.

The newly added Balsan Mountain in Yeongwol for this year's "Gangwon 20 Major Mountains Certification Challenge," which the Gangwon Tourism Foundation will resume from March to November. Photo by Yeongwol County Office

The Gangwon Mountain Challenge is the flagship program of the Gangwon Tourism Foundation, which started in 2021 and is celebrating its 5th anniversary this year. The cumulative number of certified participants has exceeded 300,000, maintaining steady popularity. In particular, more than 80,000 people participated in the certification challenge last year, and the number of participants who completed all 20 mountains has been increasing annually, surpassing 1,000.

Photo by Gangwon Tourism Foundation

This year, participants who climb 5 mountains will receive a 5th-anniversary commemorative patch, and those who complete all 20 mountains will be awarded a souvenir.

The 20 major mountains for this year include those under 1,000m: △Samaksan △Obongsan △Gwaebangsan △Cheongdaesan △Palbongsan △Balsan △Geumhaksan △Yonghwasan △Bonghwasan △Eungbong, and those over 1,000m: △Chiaksan △Dutasan △Taebaeksan △Deokhangsan △Cheongtaesan △Odaesan (Birobong) △Mindungsan △Gariwangsan △Bangtaesan △Seoraksan (Daecheongbong). Among these, ‘Balsan,’ which offers a panoramic view of Yeongwol city, and ‘Bonghwasan,’ famous for its morning sea of clouds, have been newly selected as major mountains, attracting many hikers.

Especially, in celebration of the ‘2025-2026 Gangwon Visit Year,’ events linked with traditional markets and on-site climbing activities are planned, allowing participants to enjoy various attractions.

Choi Sung-hyun, CEO of Gangwon Tourism Foundation, expressed, “We deeply appreciate the passion of participants who join the ‘Gangwon 20 Major Mountains Certification Challenge’ every year,” and added, “The foundation will continue to promote this project to lead the revitalization of mountain tourism in Gangwon.”

For more details, please visit the Gangwon Tourism Foundation website.

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