Daedunsan

Grey rock pinnacles stand layered like a folding screen, and a red suspension bridge hangs in the air between them. Daedunsan straddles Nonsan and Geumsan in South Chungcheong and Wanju in North Jeolla. At 878 m it is not high, but thanks to a cable car, a sky bridge and steel stairways you can reach dramatic rocky ridges in a short time. It has long formed the natural border between the Hoseo and Honam regions.

Name and history

Locals in Chungcheong traditionally called it Handeumsan; Daedunsan is the Sino-Korean version of that name. The 38.1 km² on the Wanju side became a North Jeolla provincial park in 1977, and 24.54 km² on the Nonsan and Geumsan side became a South Chungcheong provincial park in 1980.

The mountain also has a painful history. After their defeat at Ugeumti near Gongju in 1894, part of the Donghak peasant army used Daedunsan's rugged terrain to hold out against Japanese troops for some 70 days, from mid-December 1894 to mid-February 1895. The site is protected as the Wanju Daedunsan Donghak Peasant Revolution Battlefield, marked on the way to the Samseon stairway. At the Daedunsan rest area there is also a memorial park for the Battle of Ichi, where Japanese invaders were stopped from entering Jeonju during the Imjin War.

What to see

• The cable car: from the Wanju-side entrance it takes about 5 minutes to the upper station.
• Geumgang Cloud Bridge: a suspension bridge 81 m above the ground and 1 m wide, linking Imgeum Rock and Ipseokdae. First built in 1977, it was rebuilt in 1985 and 2021.
• Samseon Stairway: an extremely steep steel stair beyond the bridge, installed in 1985, which opens up views towards Crown Rock.
• Macheondae: the summit, with rock peaks such as Chilseongbong and Janggunbong all around.
• Nakjodae: a peak on the northern ridge known for sunrise and sunset views.
• Surak Valley: the Nonsan-side trail follows a stream and Surak Falls; the southern Wanju-side paths are dry and rocky.

Nearby

• Taegosa Temple: a Silla-era temple on the Geumsan side, burned during the Korean War and rebuilt in 1974.
• Ansimsa Temple: on the Unju-myeon side in Wanju.
• Daedunsan Victory Tower: at the entrance to Surak Valley in Nonsan, erected in 1986 to honour 1,376 police officers, soldiers and others killed in fighting around the mountain between 1950 and 1955.
• Daedunsan Recreational Forest: popular with those who want to stay overnight in the woods.

Tripto tips

• Cable car: listed hours are 09:00–18:00, with the last tickets 20 minutes before closing. Return tickets cost KRW 14,500 for adults and KRW 11,000 for children; one-way is KRW 11,000 for adults. It may stop suddenly in bad weather.
• Time needed: even with the cable car, allow a generous 2–3 hours for the bridge, stairway and summit and back. Hiking all the way up takes longer.
• Safety: the Samseon Stairway is very steep; do not push yourself if you are uneasy with heights. In winter bring microspikes for ice.
• Best time: autumn colour season is the most beautiful, but cable car queues are long. Arrive early in the morning.
• Getting there: public transport is limited, so most visitors drive. National Route 17 between Daejeon and Jeonju runs through the mountain's gorge.