Jirisan Mountain

Jirisan is a mountain in the southern region of South Korea. It is often considered one of the three most important mountains in South Korea (the mainland highest point), with Hallasan and Seoraksan being the other two.

The mountain rises to 1915 metres above sea level and is located in a designated national park of the same name. Jirisan National Park spans three provinces: North, South Jeolla and South Gyeongsang and is the largest in Korea. The largest proportion of the national park is in the province of South Gyeongsang. The highest peak of the mountain, Cheonhwangbong is also located in this province. Another well-known peak is Samshin-bong (Three Spirits Peak).

Jirisan is considered the southern end of the Sobaek mountain range, and therefore also the southern end of the Baekdudaegan mountain range, the "spine" of the Korean Peninsula incorporating the Sobaek mountain range and most of the Taebaek mountain range.

There are seven Buddhist temples on Jirisan that are considered major Buddhist temples. Hwaeomsa is the largest and best-known temple among these, and contains a number of national treasures (mostly stone artworks from about 600–900 CE). The mountain is also home to the Cheonghak-dong (Azure Crane Village) alpine valley, which includes the Samseonggung (Three Sages Palace), which is a recently developed site to celebrate one of Korea's foundation myths.

Every year more than 280,000 people visit Jirisan during all of four seasons. Especially summer and fall seasons are popular to those people who want to spend summer vacation and want to enjoy the beauty of autumn colors of mountain. It has ten scenic views which are ‘Sunrise from Cheonwang-bong peak’, ‘Nogodan Sea of Clouds’, 'Banyabong’s Nakjo’, ‘Full moon at Byukso-ryung’, ‘Piagol Autumn Leaves’, ‘Royal Azalea Blossoming’, ‘Chilseon Valley’, ‘Seomjincheongryu’, ‘Buril water fall’, ‘Yeonha-Sunkyung’. These are memorable and breathtaking for hikers. Jirisan National Park has numbers of routes for hikers to enjoy the beautiful sceneries and also has few regulations to reserve its nature by emphasizing Eco-Tourism.

At the entrance to Baemsagol Valley, some 1,300 years ago, there used to be Songnimsa Temple. This temple practiced an annual rite on the Chilwolbaekjung holiday (full moon day of July by the lunar calendar) wherein they selected the most pious monk and prayed earnestly for his safe passage to paradise as a deity. In a certain year, the then highest monk Seosandaesa visited the temple, heard about this Buddhist rite, and guessed that there must be a secret behind it. Seosandesa allowed that year’s chosen monk to pray wearing a silk robe anointed with poison, linked by a silk thread to Sinseodae Terrace. Seosandaesa then hid himself behind a rock to watch. At around 1 am, an imugi (anaconda, which was sorry not to have turned into a dragon, slithered up from the valley below Sinseondae Terrace to the sound of roaring water. The imugi jumped upon the praying monk, bit him in the mouth, and disappeared into the water. Seosandaesa returned to the temple, and waited until dawn. Early in the morning, he, together with the villagers, went to Sinseondae Terrace to find that the imugi had died dead, having failed to swallow the whole body of the monk. Seosandaesa now came to know about Songnimsa Temple’s secret of sacrificing a monk to an imugi every year. Thereafter, the valley was named as Baemsagol, which means the valley where an imugi, which failed to become a dragon, died. The village at the entrance to Baemsagol Valley was named Banseon (meaning a “half deity”) in memory of the dead monk because he was sacrificed without becoming a deity.

Samshinbong (bong means "peak") is 1,284 m (4,213 ft) high and a popular, but strenuous, day-hike from the Ssanggye Temple entry point (it is the closest major peak from this trailhead). From Ssanggyesa, a trail winds up 2.3 km to Bul-il Falls. From the left turn in the path just before the waterfall, the track continues 6.9 km to the peak (for a grand round-trip total of 18.4 km). Starting from Ssanggyesa (the sa suffix indicates a Buddhist temple), the peak can be reached in 4 hours at a steady pace. It takes about 3 hours to get down; it is an extremely steep hike. Climbers are advised to bring plenty of water as it is only available from streams beyond the temple grounds. This peak can also be climbed from the back of Cheonghak-dong Village.

During the Korean War North Korean troops occupied the region. After United Nations forces took the area a considerable number of North Koreans remained in the mountains, where they continued a guerrilla war until finally beaten in 1955, two years after the cease fire was signed by the belligerents. The Republic of Korea issued an "Anti-Guerrilla Warfare Service Medal" for its troops who fought in the area and a movie about the fighting was later produced.