Gyeonggi Paju Bihaksan Climb in Korea- Bihaksan and Janggunbong Course - Hike

1.     Date and Time : June 4, 2018 12:30~16:30 (4 hours including break one hours).

2.     Location : Paju City at Gyeonggi Province in Korea.

3. Distance and Course : About 8.29km. Course is to start Durumue Museum Parking Lot =>North Korea Guerilla Bivouac Place => Sambongsan Peak (282m altitude) => Engul => Shelter => Bihaksan Summit (454m Altitude) => Jangkunbong Peak (400m altitude) => Chorigol Reservoir => back to Durumue Museum Parking Lot.

4.     Access :

There is various ways to connect Subway Line “Kyungui Junangseon” at Yeongsan Station which you are supposed to change at Munsan Station (last station) to local bus 14-3. It will take about one hour and 13 minutes and 24 train stops. As soon as you arrive at Munsan Station, you should exit through Gate1 and walking to “1^st Hanjin Bus Stop” for 1 minute with 97m distance. You should stay on the bus for 49 minutes and 36 times bus stop passing where you should get off at Choho Shuimteo Bus Stop. You are supposed to walk from the Bus Stop to Durumue Museum which takes about 10 minutes by 687m distance. Please refer more details to the “Transportation from Yeongsan Station to Durumue Museum”. Please take reverse course on your way back home. But take Bus No. 14-3 at other side of the Hwahap Road”. I could estimate total transportation is about 2.5 hours for one way which comes total 5 hours for round trip.. But you would reduce this transportation time to 3 hours for round trip in case you use private car or rent car which you could save two hours for the transportation. 

4.     Overall Remarks.

4-1) Chorigol (Green Valley) is small village politically keeping possible traditional style living and less modernized and corroded. There is no way in compliance to present regulation that could get approval for any kinds of factory or industries at the village. That is why this village maintains such unpolluted atmosphere and living style different from other village. Please see photo of Chorigol which I took at higher observation point at Jangkunbong Peak.

4-2) There was a tragedy at this small Chorigol Village at January 21, 1968 which 32 North Korea guerilla crossed over the boarder (38 Line) for attacking Green House (President House in South Korea) and stayed overnight at Chorigol Sambongsan and captured four Mr. Woo brothers at the mountain and hold them for 7 hours at the mountain. But they scarcely escaped their holding and reported this situation to Police Station at the village. All national military and police assigned national emergency and traced these 32 guerillas and killed 30 guerilla and one escaped to North Korea and one captured as alive, Mr. Shnijo, Kim still living in South Korea. I personally doubt this style of North Korean politician including military still holding their position or influential power could so easily, quickly and simply changed to normal living style and thinking in view of dialogues between political leaders among North Korea, South Korea and America.

5.     Detailed Course Information

I moved and parked the car at the Durumue Museum which was located about middle of Chorigol village and could cover both direction of Chorigol Valley, the one for Sambongsan and the other Jangkunbong. As I walked up to Sambongsan Hill at back side of the Museum, I found there was landmark indication to Sambongsan and followed small path at bottom of Sambongsan for some minutes and turned left at the junction for climbing the hill. When I climbed for about 10 minutes at the hill, I reached landmark standing on the ridge guiding 600m to Sambongsan Peak. I made somewhat hard working for climbing the hill so far but started comparably less hard to walk on ridge after the junction. As walked on this less hard ridge road for about quarter minutes, I saw next landmark saying as 400m to “North Korean Guerilla Story” and followed the arrow and reached the Story Site as explained at above Article 4. As soon as I shortly looked around the site, I tried to walk uphill for about 10 minutes and reached Sambongsan peak. There was landmark at this peak and informed as 2.9km to Jangkunbong Peak. I walked generally easy ridge oak tree forest road but sometime steep hill for about 30 minutes and found next landmark saying as 2.1km to Jangkunbong. There are principally no different and the same road conditions as before, walking on oak tree forest and sometimes walking at steep stairs.  As I walked for this road for about 5 minutes, I found Engul which was a sliver mine before. There was big collapsed accident which many Korean workers was died at that time. Thereafter They closed the silver mine cave. I walked up the road for about 40 minutes and reached shelter sanding at hill between Sambongsan and Bihaksan. I think this shelter should be useful facilities under emergency conditions like storm or heavy rain at the mountain. There is next landmark near to the shelter indicating 400m to Bihaksan Summit. I followed the arrow and downhill some minutes and reached space at the valley to climb to Bihaksan Summit. When I struggled for about 20 minutes from previous landmark, I finally touched down Bihaksan Summit (454m altitude) and found Jikcheun Reservoir at down below and took a photo. I should now back to the previous junction where turning to Jangkunbong. When I head to Jangkunbong, I should climb somewhat steep log stairs and walking on ridge road for about 10 minutes and reached Jangkunbong-400m altitude. I walked down for some minutes and met so nice view point at Jangkunbong Observation Rock and took Chorigol Valley including small beautiful Chorigol Reservoir and some mountains around the Jangkunbong as attached photo. I found landmark saying to downhill to Chorigol reservoir after about a quarter minutes walking down and turned left to follow to the reservoir. I found the way to downhill was very steep and slippery at beginning for about 10 minutes and somewhat milder slope afterward for 20 minutes and reached the Chorigol Reservoir”. I found Chorigol Reservoir is small but beautiful which might be suitable for small village farming. It was easy walking road after that and conveniently down road for half an hour and eventually returned to Durumue Museum again.