Korean Trails

Looking south-west from near the summit - Goheon-san in the right distance.

The most northern peak of the Yeongnam Alps, Munbok-san stands above Sannae-myeon in the southern-most reaches of Gyeongju city and Unmun-myeon in the west of Cheongdo county - it is the only major peak of the Alps located within Gyeongsangbuk-do. Dis-jointed by the major ridge system, Munbok-san is bypassed by the Nakdong-jeongmaek ridge which connects from Gaji-san to Goheon-san some 4km to the south. This is a real back-country mountain which doesn't see a lot of hikers compared to the other peaks of the Alps, but has a lot to offer and a great circuit trail up the gorge from its most open south-western side.

Hwarang Monument at Samgye-ri

The village of Samgye-ri, west of Unmun in Cheongdo has the strongest connection to Munbok-san of any settlement around the mountain, and is the most appealing and popular trailhead to the summit.

Located deep in the high gorge cut from Gaji-san and flowing west into Unmun, Samgye is a remote mountain hideout, which even today involves some challenges to get to. During and after the Korean War this was, along with other areas of the Alps, a hideout for Communist sympathisers and rebels. Earlier, during Japanese occupation, it was an important location for the 3.1 Independence Movement, and during the Japanese Imjin Invasion of the late 16th century this is where Warrior Monks of Unmun-sa, Pyochung-sa and Seongnam-sa gathered to join arms.

It's most celebrated place in history though is as the spiritual beginning of the "Hwarang" - the elite fighting army of the Silla Dynasty. Upon returning from China, the great Silla monk Wongwang-beopsa based himself here, spending his time in Unmun-san and Munbok-san. Here he was sought out by two lads, Gwi-san and Chwi-hang, who wished for instruction on how to live the rest of their lives. In reply Wongwang composed the Sae-sok-O-gye - five commandments by which to live an honourable and virtuous life. These commandments have been attributed as the guiding ethos behind the Hwarang Movement.

These tough northern mountains of the Alps became the training grounds for the Hwarang army, and the recently built monument to their memory stands at the entrance to the trailhead.

Samgye-ri Seonang-gang

Life was hard for the locals of this remote gorge, who on top of having a lot of human-driven turbulence encroaching on their village, also had to deal with occasional severe flooding and rockfalls which often claimed lives, and according to information within the village - "attacks from wild beasts"! They prayed for peace and stability, and it is no surprise that the Seonang-dang (village spirit shrine) in Samgye-ri is very large and proud, restored most recently in the 1970's with a san-shin (mountain spirit) carving inside. The shrine is located 100m down the road from the Hwarang monument.

 Samgye-ri - 4.5km / 1hr45min - Munbok-san

The trail up the Gyesal-pi Valley to Munbok-san leaves from Samgye-ri Village itself. Turning into the thin village road behind the Hwarang Monument you'll see a public toilet on your left, if in a car this is the spot to park. From here walk through the village/accommodation, keeping the stream on your immediate right. The village ends after a couple of hundred metres and you should be able to see a trail entrance near the river marked with hiking ribbons - there will also be a trail-head on the left heading into the hills, this is where our circuit will end - or start if you'd want to do it backward.

I followed the valley, crossing the stream where obvious early on and following the path of the dotted red line adjacent to the yellow one in the map above, gaining some height above the river before meeting up at water level again after about 2km. 

 Munbok-san (1013.5m)

The summit of Munbok-san is a rounded cleared area with low forest on all sides except the north-east, where there are open views over the countryside and hills of southern Gyeongju and northern Ulsan areas.

Aside from the trail we've come in on, two other paths leave the peak - one heading Northeast and the other heading Northwest. The northeast trail is rarely used and heads into the backcountry hills, eventually meeting a mountain road running east down to PR927, the country road you can see off the peak. The Northwest trail is the continuation of our loop, and will run around the western face of the mountain back to Samgye-ri.

I headed down the gorge trail, which pretty much flanks the ridge trail for about 300m, before turning more to the south, heading down the centre of the peak. The trail becomes quite steep as is follows alongside a stream, dropping about 300m over a kilometre. As we near the valley floor the trail follows a scree slope bordered with large feature rocks, including one large, impressive slab called Neoreok-bawi.

The gorge trail meets the Gyesalpi Valley at the point where we crossed earlier in the day. Don't cross the river here, but turn right following the trail on the northern side of the river which heads directly back to Samgye-ri. On the way back you will pass the site of Gaseulgap-sa temple, now just a clearing in a bamboo grove with a granite marker post, but a great place to take rest.