Hallasan National Park Office "Realistically Difficult" Embarrassed
A petition has been raised requesting the expansion of the Hallasan summit marker stone, as hikers have to wait for an hour to take commemorative photos at the Hallasan summit marker stone.
Hikers taking commemorative photos at the natural stone marker at the summit of Hallasan. [Image source: Screenshot from the Hallasan National Park Management Office website]
Recently, on the Hallasan National Park website, complaints such as "I waited in line for about an hour to take a photo in front of the Baengnokdam marker stone," and "It's tough under the scorching sun, so please make more marker stones" have been posted. The photo attached by the writer shows a long line of people standing on the summit stairs. The writer said, "The line was about 60 to 70 meters long at the time," and added, "After climbing hard for 4 to 5 hours, it is difficult to endure the inconvenience of waiting again." Several other netizens also urged for alternative measures with similar concerns.
The popular spot for hikers to take verification photos is in front of the natural stone marker on the eastern ridge of Baengnokdam, the crater lake at the summit of Hallasan. Many hikers wanting to take commemorative photos crowd around the marker stone engraved with 'Hallasan Natural Reserve Baengnokdam,' creating a long queue. Due to the long waiting line, waiting over an hour to take a single photo has become commonplace.
At the Hallasan summit, besides the natural stone marker, there are wooden markers engraved with 'Hallasan East Ridge Summit' and 'Scenic Site No. 90 Hallasan Baengnokdam.' The Hallasan National Park Management Office is making announcements to disperse the photo waiting lines by encouraging visitors to use these other wooden markers. They also explain that "even if climbers do not take photos in front of the marker stone, they can receive a climbing certificate by submitting a summit photo." However, hikers rarely move to other markers.
This natural stone marker was erected in 2011 at the summit of the eastern ridge of Hallasan. The calligraphy was done by Song Ok Kim Young-mi, who also wrote the inscription on the 'Hallasan' monument at the Eorimok entrance. Previously, in the 1950s, there was a small marker stone on the northwest wall of the Hallasan summit that read 'Hallasan Summit' and a commemorative monument marking the opening of the Hallasan trail. The northwest wall summit is the highest point on Hallasan. However, as the northwest wall trail was damaged, it was closed in 1996, and hikers began using other trails. Discussions about the summit marker stone took place in the 2000s, leading to the erection of the current natural stone marker on the eastern ridge.
However, the Hallasan National Park Management Office sympathizes with the petition to install more marker stones but maintains the position that "it is not possible to install more." They cite practical difficulties such as changes to cultural heritage preservation. Shin Yong-man, who has worked at Hallasan for 40 years, said, "If the current marker stone were replaced with a larger one, its symbolic meaning would increase, and hikers taking commemorative photos could do so from all directions, which might somewhat alleviate the congestion."
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