Hallasan National Park

National park in Jeju, South Korea
33°22′N 126°32′E / 33.367°N 126.533°E / 33.367; 126.533Area153.11 km2 (59.12 sq mi)Established24 March 1970Governing bodyJeju Special Self-Governing Province
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Hallasan National Park (Korean: 한라산국립공원; Hanja: 漢拏山國立公園) is located on and around the mountain Hallasan in Jeju Province, South Korea. It was designated as the 9th national park in 1970.

Hallasan is a shield volcano that is the highest mountain in South Korea. It was designated a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 2002,[1] and a World Heritage Site in 2007.[2]

The park is managed by Jeju Special Self-Governing Province. It is the only out of 22 national parks that is not managed by the Korea National Park Service.[3]

Trails

Hallasan has 7 trails: Eorimok Trail (6.8 km), Yeongsil Trail (5.8 km), Seongpanak Trail (9.6 km), Seokgulam Trail (1.5 km), Gwaneumsa Trail (8.7 km), Donnaeko Trail (7 km), and Eoseungsaengak Trail (1.3 km). The longest trail is Seongpanak Trail which takes about 4.5 hours.[4]

Topography

Hallasan comprises 153.112 km2 of Jeju Island. It rises 1,950 m above sea level, which means that it is the highest mountain in South Korea. This mountain was formed in the fourth Cenozoic era by the eruption of a volcano.[5] It is mostly composed of basalts. It extends east and west, and it has high and gradual ascent. On the other hand, the south part of the mountain is steep. In the summit, there is a crater lake called “Baekrokdam.”[6]

Since the mountain has high altitude, there are a number of alpine plants and animals. 1,800 kinds of plants, including 400 kinds of specimen plants and 50 kinds of special plants, exist in Hallasan.[7] Jeju island was designated as a Biosphere Reserve in 2002 and Hallasan National Park is one of the regions of Jeju Biosphere.[8]

References

  1. ^ "MAB Biosphere Reserves Directory: Jeju Island". UNESCO. 13 December 2007. Retrieved 18 September 2010.
  2. ^ "Jeju Volcanic Island and Lava Tubes". UNESCO. Retrieved 18 September 2010.
  3. ^ "National Parks: About the Korea National Park Service". Korea National Park Service. Archived from the original on 31 March 2022. Retrieved 18 September 2010.
  4. ^ "Mountain Information: Trail Guide". Hallasan National Park. Archived from the original on 20 April 2010. Retrieved 10 December 2011.
  5. ^ "Park Introduction". Hallasan National Park. Archived from the original on 12 March 2013. Retrieved 10 December 2011.
  6. ^ "Myungsan(명산)". Jeju Special Self-Governing Province. Archived from the original on 7 March 2014. Retrieved 10 December 2011.
  7. ^ "생태계의 보고>식물". Hallasan National Park. Archived from the original on 4 February 2013. Retrieved 10 December 2011.
  8. ^ "Biosphere Reserve". World Natural Heritage Jeju. Retrieved 10 December 2011.
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Hallasan National Park.