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Today on the Korean Atlas and History. Korean Mountains. Mount Halla.

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Mount Halla is shield volcano located on Jeju island. Mount Halla, or Hallasan,

is commonly considered to be one of the three main mountains of South Korea,

including Jirisan and Seoraksan. Mt Halla stands at 1,947 meters or 6,388 feet tall.

The mountain is known for its many names, as it has been representative of

many different things to different cultures and eras in Korean history. Older English

sources call it Mount Auckland. North Koreans write it as Han-Na-San, although

pronounce it Hallasan as the South does. Hallasan means that the mountain is

pulling down the universe. According to an old legend this name is based on, if you

climb up the mountain, see a star, and call out 노인성, you can live a long life.

Another name for the mountain is Jinan. This name means a mountain that

protects its residents, located at the back of town. Jeju people use this name

because the mountain protects the residents from strong winds blowing in from the

Pacific Ocean.

The mountain is known to many as 두무악. This name means bold head

mountain. It is called this, because according to legend, a bold hunter ripped a hole
in God’s stomach, making his belly button. God was angry and ripped the peak off

of the mountain. The remaining part of the mountain became 백록담, a crater lake

beside the mountain, but the part that was ripped off became 산방산, a large rock

outcropping on Jeju.

A simpler name of the mountain is WonSan. Won, meaning circle or round, is

used because the mountain has the appearance of a circular cone. Many

mainlanders call the mountain this, as on a clear day, its circular shape can be seen

from the mainland.

A more peculiar name of the mountain is 영주산. According to legend, there

were immortal wizards who used to live on the mountain. The wizards lived forever

because of a special plant. Thus the name 영주산, which means something like live

forever mountain.

Some have called the mountain 부악, as there was a belief that white deer

would drink from the Crater Lake located on the mountain.

Other names the mountain has had include 진산, 선산, 부라산, and 혈망봉.

Beyond the name of the mountain, the mountain itself forms the bulk of what

is Jeju island. There is a local saying that “Jeju Island is Hallasan, and Hallasan is

Jeju.” The mountain is such a part of the island that it can be seen from all places
on the island, although the peak is often covered in clouds. The mountain has been

designated as Korea’s Natural Monument number 182.

The soil of the mountain is made mostly out of volcanic ash. The organic

contents and drainage of this soil is better than any other place in South Korea, but

it is not the best land for farming. The most recent volcanic eruption was estimated

to have been about 5,000 years ago. Because it has erupted in the last 10,000 years,

this volcano is classified as active.

백록담 is the name of the crater lake located on Hallasan. The name means

“white dear lake.” There is a legend that the name was created by otherworldly men

who descended from heaven to play with white deer in the area at the time.

Depending on the season, the circumference of the lake is up to 2 kilometers with a

depth of up to about 100 meters.

Hallasan has been isolated from the mainland for a long time, and because of

this, its species were able to become quite different from mainland species. 50 or

more unique species live on Jeju Island. A total of 160 bird species use the mountain

as their habitat. 19 of these species are considered to be natural to Hallasan and are

protected by the government. 3,315 insect species and 254 spider species live on

the mountain as well. Six tick species live on the mountain, which plague people and

animal species to this day.

 Of the 400 species of endangered plants native to Korea, 6 of them can be

found in the natural reserve area of Hallasan. Hallasan is also a place where polar

and tropical animals can coexist due to the difference in climate zones according to

the elevation of the land.

Mammals on Jeju are distributed among 5 orders, 114 families, and 5 species.

The distribution of mammals on Jeju is very small as it has been isolated from the

mainland for so long. The population of mammals has been reduced due to a

decrease in food and the use of rodenticides and pesticides, as well as indiscreet

fishing. Weasels, badgers, gazelles and roe deer inhabit the island. Boar and

Formosan deer that once inhabited the island, are now extinct.

Hallasan is home to 관음사, the oldest Buddhist temple on the island. The

temple was originally built during the Goryeo Dynasty in the reign of King 문종

between 1046 and 1083 A.D. It was destroyed in 1702 and closed for more than 200

years, but rebuilt in 1908. There is a memorial site outside the temple to

commemorate the victims of the Jeju Uprising that took place between 1948 and

1950. It is one of the most visited places on the island.

Hallasan is also home to 존자암지. 존자암지 is the site of a pagoda that

preserves the relics of Buddha. It is located on the southwest ridge of Bul-Rae 오름,

on the Yeong-Sil track around Jeju. On November 1, 2000, the Jeju Provincial
Government designated it as Tangible Property Number 17. It is not known when

the temple was founded, but excavations suggest that it was constructed by Jon-Ja,

the great monk of Ar-Han starting in the Late Goryeo Dynasty. According to the

writings of Chung-Am Kin Jeong, 존자암지 was created when three families, Go,

Yang, and Bu, settled in Jeju.

Hallasan has five hiking trails that traverse the mountain area: 관음사, 어리목,

성판악, 영실, 돈내코. Only 관음사 and 성판악 lead to the summit.

Hallasan is a major landmark and a living part of Korean culture and tradition.

If you have the chance to travel to Korea, don’t miss out on this beautiful mountain.

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