Bugaksan () is a mountain in the north of

Seoul Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...

, South Korea. It famously overlooks the former royal palace Gyeongbokgung as well as the former presidential residence, the

Blue House Cheong Wa Dae (), also known as the Blue House in English, is a public park that was the former Office of the President of South Korea, executive office and residence of the president of South Korea. Located in Seoul's Jongno District, directl ...

. Bugaksan, along with

Inwangsan Inwangsan () is a mountain in central Seoul, South Korea. It is in parts of Jongno District and Seodaemun District and has a height of . The name literally means "compassionate/benevolent king" in Korean. The mountain covers an area of 1,086,69 ...

, Naksan, and Namsan surround the Seoul Basin. The mountain has a bedrock of

granite Granite ( ) is a coarse-grained (phanerite, phaneritic) intrusive rock, intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly coo ...

, and is about high. The mountain has historically gone by a number of other names, including Baegaksan ().

Names

Until the

Joseon Joseon ( ; ; also romanized as ''Chosun''), officially Great Joseon (), was a dynastic kingdom of Korea that existed for 505 years. It was founded by Taejo of Joseon in July 1392 and replaced by the Korean Empire in October 1897. The kingdom w ...

period, the mountain went by a variety of names, including "Baegaksan", "Myeonaksan" (), and "Gonggeuksan" (). However, "Baegaksan" was the most popular name during the Joseon period. The name "Bugaksan", meaning "north mountain", became popular just after the Japanese colonial period. Some government offices have made efforts to return to using the "Baegaksan" name, in order to strengthen modern South Korea's ties to the pre-Japanese past.

Description

The mountain is part of a range of mountains connected to the south of

Bukhansan Bukhansan, alternatively Pukhan-san (, ), or Bukhan Mountain, is a mountain on the northern periphery of Seoul, South Korea. There are three major peaks, Baegundae , Insubong , Mangyeongdae . Because of its height and the fact that it borders a co ...

, the highest mountain in Seoul. There are 208 species of plants on the mountain, including 81 species of trees. The Cheonggyecheon stream that flows through Seoul originates from the mountain. In November 2005, the

Jongno District upright=1, Bosingak bell pavilion Jongno District () is one of the 25 districts of Seoul, South Korea. It is the historic center of Seoul that contains Gyeongbokgung, the main royal palace of the Joseon dynasty, and the Blue House, the for ...

government investigated the source of the river, and found that it was a mineral water spring about from a statue of police officer . The Bugak Skyway, located along the northeast ridge of Bugaksan Mountain, has gained a reputation as Korea's most scenic driving route since its opening in September 1968.

History

Beginning in the Joseon period, the mountain was a popular spot for the aristocracy to construct villas. After the Blue House Raid of January 21, 1968, in which North Korean operatives attempted to assassinate the South Korean president, access to the mountain became heavily restricted. These restrictions began to be lifted on April 1, 2006, when Sukjeongmun was reopened for public access. Beginning on November 1, 2020, a section north of the Blue House was opened to the public. It is now possible to hike from the mountain

Ansan Ansan (, ) is a city in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. It lies southwest of Seoul and is part of the Seoul Metropolitan Area. It is connected to Seoul by rail via Seoul Subway Line 4. It is situated on the Yellow Sea coast and some islands lie ...

, Inwangsan, Bugaksan, and Bukhansan without interruption. There is a number of guided walking courses over the mountain, including one that walks along the Fortress Wall of Seoul. The mountain was designated an area of secnic beauty in 2009 by the Cultural Heritage Administration.

Gallery

Notes

References

External links

* {{Authority control Mountains of South Korea Mountains of Seoul Downtown Seoul