Geum Oreum

Rising above the farmland of Geumak-ri in Hallim, western Jeju, Geum Oreum is a volcanic cone with a large round crater at the top. It stands 427.5 m above sea level but only about 178 m above its base, so a short climb brings you to the rim, with the crater marsh at your feet, Hallasan in the distance and the ranches and fields of western Jeju all around. The summit ridge is also known as a paragliding launch site.

The name

Geum Oreum is also called Geomeun Oreum, the "black oreum". One explanation points to its unusually dark soil, and the name has been written in Chinese characters in several ways, including Heugak, Geummurak and Geumak. Another reading links "geom/gam/gom/geum" to an ancient word for a deity, suggesting the hill was considered sacred. The village of Geumak-ri takes its name from it.

Jeju City's Yeon-dong has another oreum with the same name, so double-check that you are heading to Geumak-ri, Hallim (address: San 1-1, Geumak-ri, Hallim-eup, Jeju City).

Crater and landscape

• The crater: a round crater about 52 m deep, locally called Wangme or Amme.
• Geumakdam: the crater lake at the bottom once held plenty of water. Today the floor is mostly exposed and only turns marshy after rain.
• Two peaks: northern and southern summits joined by a low saddle ring the crater, and you can walk all the way around the rim.
• Size and plants: it is described as about 2,861 m around, covering some 610,000 m², with black pine, Japanese cedar, wild rose and silverberry.

What is an oreum

In Jeju, an oreum is one of the many small volcanoes scattered over the slopes of Hallasan and the surrounding plains. Geum Oreum is a parasitic cone that erupted on the flank of a larger volcano, described as a relatively young one that still has both a round summit crater and a crater lake. Walking the rim, you have the sunken crater on one side and the open uplands of western Jeju on the other, which makes the volcanic landform easy to grasp.

Good to know

• The oreum is on private land. Livestock that once grazed here were moved off for visitors' safety, and driving to the top, once possible, is now restricted.
• A telecom relay station stands on the southern summit, which is why a concrete road leads close to the top. A separate forest trail also climbs the hill.
• Tunnels were dug into the hill during the Japanese occupation, and local people hid in them during the 1948 Jeju uprising.
• Visitor numbers jumped after the oreum appeared on television in 2017. Amphibians live in the crater marsh, so please stay out of it.

Tripto tips

• Visiting: open at all times, free, with parking at the entrance.
• The climb: a short walk up the paved path. Allow 60–90 minutes if you also walk around the crater.
• When to go: calm, clear days are best. After rain you may see water in the crater.
• Watch out: there is little shade on the rim and the wind can be strong, so bring a hat and a windproof layer. It is private land, so take all rubbish back down.
• Nearby: Isidore Ranch and the Saemi Eunchong-ui Dongsan prayer garden are about 2 km away.
• Phone: Jeju tourist information +82 64-740-6000.