| Heavenly Beauty Landed on Mt. Geumgangsan |
 |
| The Geumgangsan Diamond Mountains 12,000 Pinnacles with 12,000
Miracles |
|
The eminent Chinese poet Su Dong-po of the Song Dynasty (960 - 1277)
lavished praise on Mt. Geumgangsan, “If I were to die the day after seeing
Goryeo (Korea) Geumgansan, I would have no regrets,” and the beauty of the
Diamond Mountains has been celebrated in many poems and paintings.
Mt.
Geumgangsan shoot up near the east coast, towering above North Korea 's side of
the Demilitarized Zone, the symbol of ideological demarcation. Including the
tallest Birobong Peak (1,638m), they stretch 40 kilometers east and west and 60
kilometers south and north, covering 530km². The Buddhist Avatamska Sutra
records that the12,000 rugged pinnacles create the miracles of this magnificent
sub-range.
Mt. Geumgangsan is divided
into three main areas: Neageumgang, the Inner Diamond Mountains boasting the
surreal view of Manpokdong Valley; Oegeumgang, the Outer Diamond Mountains
represented by Manmulsang (Stone Images of Ten Thousand Things); and
Haegeumgang, the Sea Diamonds with ancient pines perched on tall rock columns,
stretching out to a seaside lake and the East Sea. The mountainscape changes so
distinctly as each season rolls in and out that it has long been called by
different names in different seasons. At sunrise in the spring, the spiky
granite peaks sparkle in the morning dew like crystal diamonds, so in spring
they are called Mt. Geumgangsan, the Diamond Mountains. In summer when the
forest is thick and green, they are called Bongnaesan, the Verdant Mountains.
When leaves blaze with a crimson tint, they are called Pungaksan, the Autumnal
Foliage Mountains. In winter when the rocks are bare, they are Gaegolsan, the
Skeleton Mountains.
Although Geumgansan features an alpine
climate, with heavy rainfall in summer and much snow in winter, the weather is
relatively congenial. The daily climate fluctuation, however, is wide. If you
look down from a hot-air balloon, you see a constantly changing panorama of
sunny and misty mountainscape. The best times for visiting Geumgansan are from
April to May before the rainy season starts, and from September to October when
the leaves wear splendid autumnal tints.
At every turn and bend on Mt.
Geumgangsan you will find Buddhist relics. The time-honored Pyohunsa and
Jeongyangsa Temples, Bodeogam Hermitage, Myogilsang Seated Stone Statue of
Tathagata Amitaba, rock-cut relief of Buddhist triad, and stone pagodas and
stupas are the finest examples. The Sangpaldam Pools are the setting for the
legend, the Heavenly Fairy and the Woodcutter. On the massive boulders
bracketing Manpokdong and Ongnyudong Valleys are often inscribed traces of the
short verse of celebrities of olden days. Communist propaganda slogans in red
paint also are encountered every now and then.
On November 18, 1998, the
Geumgangsan Diamond Mountains Tour was opened to South Koreans for the first
time in the fifty years since the South-North demarcation was incised across the
nation’s waistline at the 38th parallel. It soon became a torch shedding hopeful
light on national reconciliation as well as the most-desired destination for
South Koreans. The mountains are steep. Hikers usually ascend in apprehension
but descend dazzled, lacking for words to depict the surreal land of fairies,
immortal hermits, dragons and phoenixes.
At present, the cruiseship
Hyundai Seolbongho carries tourists from South Korea’s Sokcho Port in Gangwon-do
Province to the Geumgangsan’s Oegeumgang and Haegeumgang Routes. In the
Geumgangsan Hot Spa, bathers can refresh themselves in the warm, mineral-rich
water. Pyeongyang Moranbong Circus also presents its world-acclaimed feats, at
Geumgangsan Culture Hall.
|
Demographics
