The Bugaksan Mountain branch of Seoul Hiking Tourism Center was opened on April 18 in the Samcheong-dong neighborhood of Seoul’s Jongno-gu District to help foreign tourists explore the mountain. (Charles Audouin)
By Charles Audouin
On a warm spring day on April 12, I stepped lightly along the walls of Gyeongbokgung Palace wearing a simple shirt and jeans. Everyone might think I was going to a gallery or pretty cafe in Bukchon Hanok Village, a popular area in Seoul, but I was on my way to hike up a mountain.
At 9 a.m., I arrived at my destination: a two-story Hanok (traditional building) on Samcheong-dong Culture Street. This was the Bugaksan Mountain branch of Seoul Hiking Tourism Center run by Seoul Tourism Organization.
The center was officially launched on April 18 to help foreign visitors more comfortably scale the mountain in downtown Seoul. This is the second such branch after the first was opened in September 2022 near Bukhansan Mountain.
At this place, foreign visitors can rent hiking gear, go on tours led by guides, and get information and courses on mountaineering and guides in English, Chinese and Japanese.
The biggest advantage of the new branch is its location near major tourist attractions in Seoul under Bugaksan like Gyeongbokgung, Bukchon Hanok Village and Gwanghwamun Square. This allows foreign visitors to simultaneously experience the nation’s history, culture and nature.
Through its strengths, the center plans to diversify rental equipment to those used for light picnics and camping in the city.
Participants in this year’s first tour run by the Bugaksan Mountain branch of Seoul Hiking Tourism Center on April 12 go up stairs on Bugaksan. (Charles Audouin)Foreign hikers who went on this year’s first field trip looked all over the former presidential compound of Cheong Wa Dae and Bugaksan while listening to commentary in English. They saw the superb scenery and calm of the mountain while wearing mountain clothes provided by the center free of charge.
Riska Dwi Astuti, an Indonesian who was attending an academic conference in Seoul, said, “I didn’t bring my mountain clothes, so it’s convenient that I can rent them.”
Christian Rhee, an expat who has lived in Korea for over 10 years, added, “No other country offers hiking boots for rent except Korea.”
Expats can also rent equipment like hiking sticks, backpacks, hats, pants and shirts for KRW 2,000 each and hiking boots and jackets for KRW 5,000.
More information including on reservations to rent hiking gear and schedules of interactive programs are available on the center’s official Instagram account: https://www.instagram.com/seoulhikingtourism_official/.
Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon on April 18 makes a speech at the opening ceremony for the Bugaksan Mountain branch of Seoul Hiking Tourism Center. (Seoul Tourism Organization)The Bugaksan branch underwent trial operations from Nov. 20 last year before officially opening on April 18 this year. The opening ceremony at Hanok Lounge on the second floor attracted around 100 people including Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, ambassadors from Costa Rica, Belarus and the Czech Republic, and foreign tourists.
“Instead of hearing an explanation, experiencing this yourself will form lifelong memories,” Mayor Oh said in stressing the importance of experiential tourism. “No other place in the world can you see the whole city center by walking for an hour or two.”
caudouin@korea.kr
