On one fine spring day at Bukhansan Dulle-gil 북한산 둘레길에는 봄이 가득합니다

Photos by Aoife Casey

I am lucky enough that the foothills of Bukhansan National Park are three stops on the metro from where i live. Bukhansan Dulle-gil in Eunpyeong offers a series of paths for avid hikers of various levels of fitness.

“With an area of 79.9㎢, it stretches over Seoul and Gyeonggi-do. Bukhansan National Park is divided into two areas with Uiryeong Pass in the middle: Bukhansan Mountain to the south from the pass, and Dobongsan Mountain to the north. The national park is like an ecological island because it’s totally surrounded by urban areas, but it still serves as green lungs for the urban environment. It’s a popular natural park for over 20 million residents within the vicinity.”

It is truly a beautiful park and I was fascinated by the exposed roots of the trees, gripping into the ground. A short walk from Bulgwang station on line 3, exit 2 and take a left, its about 10 minutes up the road.

 

About Bukhansan
Bukhansan is a mountain on the northern peripheries of Seoul, South Korea. At 836.5 meters above sea level and bordering a considerable part of the city, Bukhansan is a major landmark visible from most districts of the metropolis. Mt. Bukhansan is the highest in Seoul, and attracts a large number of hikers from all over the nation. Apart from Mt. Bukhansan, there are seven mountains including Dobongsan and Suraksan that are over 600 meters high.

Designated as a national park in 1983, the mountain is 78.45 km wide and has 6 districts and extends out into Gyeonggi-do Province. The name Bukhansan means “big mountain in the north,” and it is also called Mt. Samgaksan. Mt. Bukhansan has such smooth curves that the large granite rocks sometimes look as if they would slide down the mountain. The sharp peaks provide contrast to the dozens of valleys and rivers flowing below. The mountain has many different kinds of peaks but its main peak is Baegunbong.

In the spring, all kinds of flowers bloom, and in the summer, lush forests carpet the numerous valleys. The hiking path along the valley is perhaps the best summer mountain climbing course. And the fall is the perfect time to visit the temples and pavilions in their autumn colors. In the winter, the snow-covered mountain scenery is very beautiful. The park averages 5 million visitors and has received the Honor of being in the Guinness Book of World Records for being the national park with the highest number of visitors per square foot.

북한산은 서울특별시 강북구, 도봉구, 은평구, 성북구, 종로구와 경기도 고양시 덕양구의 경계에 있는 높이 835.6m의 산이다. 특히 1983년에 국립공원으로 지정된 북한산은 세계적으로 드문 도심 속의 자연공원으로, 수려한 자연경관을 온전히 보전하고 있다. 서울시민들이 가장 즐겨 찾는 국립공원으로 제주도 올레길, 지리산 둘레길 등 다양한 유형의 걷기 탐방 코스가 생겨남에 따라 북한산 국립공원 내에도 북한산 저지대 자락을 연결하는 북한산둘레길을 조성하여 2010년 8월 말에 개방하였다. 연평균 방문객이 500만에 이르고 있어 ‘단위 면적당 가장 많은 탐방객이 찾는 국립공원’으로 기네스북에 기록되어 있기도 하다.

 

Contributoir, Aoife Casey

Aoife Casey is an Irish artist living and working in Seoul, Korea. She expresses problems of existence with performance, photo, sculpture, installation more than 10 years. She had a first solo exhibition in 2013, Seoul. She is in full activity with her own view as an artist in recent.

아일랜드 출신의 작가 이퍼 케이시는 10년 이상을 퍼포먼스, 조각, 설치, 사진 등의 작업을 통해 인간의 신체적 혹은 존재의 문제를 다루어 왔다. 2013년 부터 서울에 거주하며 한국 사회 속에 동화된 한 인간으로서 느끼는 경험을 작가적인 시각으로 풀어내고 있다.