Mt. Gwanaksan

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Another clear day, another mountain, this time beautiful Mt. Gwanaksan, which straddles the line between Seoul’s Gwanak-gu and the Seoul suburb of Gwacheon in Gyeonggi-do.

At 629m, Mt. Gwanaksan is a good-sized hill that marks the southern limit of the Seoul basin. In the Joseon era, the mountain was believed to be rich in the element of fire — the haetae in front of Gyeongbokgung Palace, in fact, were installed to protect the palace from fire emanating from the mountain.

On the northern side of the mountain is the campus of Seoul National University, where most Seoulites start their hikes. The mountain is also home to the venerable Buddhist hermitage of Yeonjuam and dramatic Yeonjudae, a Buddhist hall perched on a granite cliff.

Here is Yeonjudae. Unfortunately, the lighting was not conducive to a good photo. From Asian Historical Architecture:

This is part of Yonjuam temple, reportedly established by Uisang, the famous Silla monk. It was renamed Yeonjudae “Platform for Adoration of the Master” after Goryeo loyalists retreated here after the fall of the Goryeo kingdom in 1392. It is said that they gazed northward toward Gaeseong, the old Goryeo capital, dreaming of the last monarch.

It is also said that Princes Yangnyong and Hyoryong, the first and second sons of King Taejong (r. 1400-1418) often came here when they lived in seclusion on Mt. Gwanaksan after realizing their father was going to make their younger brother, the future King Sejong, crown prince.

I doubt the afore mentioned Goryeo loyalists had the benefit of this as they made their way up here.

For those filling out their score cards at home, Yeonjuam Hermitage was founded in AD 677 by Uisang, one of early Korea’s most accomplished Buddhist monks. By 1392, however, it was virtually closed down when it and Yeonjudae were renovated by the founder of the Joseon Dynasty, King Taejo.

Most of the current structures were built from the 1970s onwards, although the stone pagoda dates from the Goryeo era.

Nothing finishes off a long hike on Mt. Gwanaksan quite like some sundae gopchang bokkeum in Sillim-dong’s Sundae Town, where it’s all sundae, all the time. This example, consumed at Ddosuni (884-7565), mixes sundae, gopchang, rice cake, jjolmyeon noodles, sesame leaves and all sorts of other yummy stuff, liberally seasoned and finished off with fried rice.