Hanguk Trail Running: Gwanaksan

The Gwanaksan Ridge. / Hanguk Trail Running

Gwanaksan, at 632m, looms over Seoul at its most southern edge. I have many fond memories on the mountain range. Korea Great Trail Run holds an annual race on Gwanaksan in March. I attended their race last year and the year before that. When I entered the race on March 4, 2023, I made acquaintances with a Mongolian runner. The gentleman did not know how to use GPX files and could not speak Korean. Albeit, he was a tremendous runner. He loved long-distance runs (I will not innumerate his accolades because that would take me the rest of my life). He asked me if he could run with me, and I said yes.

I love trail running partly because it is a solitary sport; hence, I was not too pleased to know that I would have company the whole length of the race. There was a lot of silence between us; but when we did talk, the conversations were meaningful. We talked about what it meant to be a good man, and how only our actions can affirm it. He shared chocolates with me. It turns out that it is his companionship that I remember the most about that race.

Gwanaksan's name stemmed from its appearance (Park, n.d.). The summit, with its exposed rocky peaks, resembles a traditional Korean hat called "gat.""Gwan" means headwear, "ak" translates to big, and "san" is the Korean word for mountain. According to records, Gwanaksan loomed so large over the Korean people that King Taejo (1392-1398) of Josen Dynasty (1392-1910) erected a statute to counteract the mountain's presence. The statute of Haetae, a mystical beast resembling a lion, still stands by the front gates of Gyeongbokgung Palace.

It is not until the Korean War (1950-1953) that the mountain's presence is felt again. On July 3, 1950, the 9th Regiment of the Republic of Korea's Army (ROKA) retreated to Anyang through its forests (Seo, n.d.). Less than a year later, the 15th Regiment is assigned to the US 1 Corps to participate in Operation Thunderbolt. The regiment prevails at the Battle of Gwanaksan in January, 1951 (Son, 2023).

The victory came at the price of many lives. A total of 4,133 of the deceased soldiers were recovered from the slopes of Gwanaksan between 2000 and 2009, including 3,367 ROKA soldiers (Choi, 2010). Efforts to identify the fallen followed, 10,339 family members donated their DNA samples but only 56 soldiers have been successfully named. The exhumation process is becoming increasingly difficult, as more veterans and witnesses are lost with time. It was reported that 150 digging sites may just yield the remains of a single soldier.

I ran on the very same slopes for the second time on March 3, 2024. I ran the race with an Australian friend. He suffered an injury early in the thirty-kilometer race. Running was not an option, so we mostly walked to the finish line. The ridges of the mountain has minimal to no fertile soil. Only the hardiest of plant species can survive there (Park, n.d.). I recall seeing the most petit and peculiar looking pine trees. Some of them barely clinging onto the edge of the mountain. I wondered how they have survived so many winters. 

Gwanaksan is a spectacular place to run. The crisscross ridgeline is visible before you for miles due to the sparse vegetation. The edges of the same rugged path gives way to dense boreal jungle. The course I will be sharing stretches for 31km with 1,400m of elevation. The course is long but it is by no means difficult. You will descent onto a street three times during the run. There are convenient stores along the route, so please resupply your pack. The last two kilometers are completely off-trail but there are some fish cake vendors on the street for you to enjoy!

My friend from Australia wanted to call the quits at one point of the race. I told him, there were two ways off this mountain: You can go back or you can move forward. This is why I think March is the best time to visit Gwanaksan. All the life that refused to perish in the winter are welcoming the spring that could not come soon enough. My friend also reluctantly moved forward. 

Please do not litter on Gwanaksan. You will see people eating and littering. Do not be like them. Soldiers who once fought bravely lay on those slopes. There are plants and animals that are still fighting to survive on those slopes. Leave the mountain as you found it.

Conditions	Gwanaksan Trail
Lit at Night	No, headlights are a must.
Wild Life	No, no large mammals have been reported according to the government website. I have personally not seen any either.
Paved	Yes and no. Parts of the trail have stairs and paved streets (20%).
Bathrooms	Yes, but not reliably so.
Water Source	Yes, there are convenient stores on the streets but there are no reliable water sources on the mountain.
CCTV & Emergency Bells	Yes.
Accessible by Car	Yes, there is a public parking lot 1km removed from the entrance of the trail. 37, Nakseongdaeyeok 3-gil Gwanak-gu, Seoul.
Accessible by Public Transportation	Yes, but is a 700m walk from the station. Nakseongdae Station.

GPX File: https://connect.garmin.com/modern/course/328611226

References:

Choi B. (2010). 관악산 일대에서 6.25 전사자 유해 찾는다. OhmyNews. https://m.ohmynews.com/NWS_Web/Mobile/amp.aspx?CNTN_CD=A0001367956

Park D. (n.d.). 관악산 (冠岳山). Encyclopedia of Korean Culture. https://encykorea.aks.ac.kr/Article/E0004935

Seo I. (n.d.). 전쟁의 상처 속에서 동작을 재건하려는 몸부림. 디지털동작문화대전. https://dongjak.grandculture.net/dongjak/toc/GC08200020

Son K. (2023). The Second Liberation of Seoul in the Korean War and the Battles of the ROK 15^TH Regiment. DBpia. https://www.dbpia.co.kr/journal/articleDetail?nodeId=NODE11596218