Geumjeongsan Mountain

Geumjeongsan is a granite mountain rising between central Busan and Yangsan, and in March 2026 it became Korea's 24th national park. From the highest peak, Godangbong (801.5 m), you look down on the Nakdong River and the city, and along the ridges runs Geumjeongsanseong, the largest mountain fortress in Korea. Its defining feature is how close it is to the city: trails start a short ride from subway stations.

A national park in the middle of a city

Geumjeongsan National Park was approved by the National Park Committee in October 2025 and, after official notice, formally launched on 3 March 2026. It covers about 66.9 km², 78% in six districts of Busan and 22% in Yangsan in South Gyeongsang, and includes neighbouring Baegyangsan. About 80% of the land is privately owned, so it took almost twenty years of citizen campaigning to get it designated. Other national parks lie on the edge of big cities, but Geumjeongsan is the first right in the middle of one. It receives about 3.12 million visitors a year, among the highest of any national park, and is home to 1,782 species of wildlife, including 14 endangered species.

A mountain shaped from granite

Geumjeongsan is made of granite that cooled deep underground about 70 million years ago and was exposed as the sedimentary and volcanic rocks above it wore away. That is why weathered crags and rock towers stand all along its ridges. The mountain is named after Geumsaem, the "golden well", a hollow on top of a boulder east of Godangbong. Legend says a golden fish came down from heaven to live in it, and Beomeosa Temple takes its name from the same story.

What to see

• Godangbong: the highest peak. On clear days you can see Gimhae, the mouth of the Nakdong and, it is said, even Tsushima Island.
• Geumjeongsanseong Fortress: built in 1701–1703 to defend the coast after the Japanese invasions of the 1590s. Sources give the wall length as about 17 km or 18.8 km. The east, west, south and north gates and several watchtowers have been restored, making a good walk along the walls.
• Sanseong Village: a mountain village at about 450 m, famous for Geumjeongsanseong makgeolli, a rice wine made with yeast cakes brewed here since the Joseon period.
• Beomeosa: the historic temple on the eastern slope where the most popular trail to Godangbong begins.

Peaks along the ridge

• Sanggyebong (Sanghaksan, 640 m): a peak above Hwamyeong-dong in Buk-gu with sweeping views of the Nakdong River and the Gimhae plain, crowned by castle-like granite outcrops.
• Wonhyobong (687 m): a midpoint on the ridge traverse from Janggunbong via Godangbong and Wonhyobong to Sanggyebong and Paribong, known for its granite tors.
• Paribong (615 m): a lone peak on the west side of the fortress, with a telescope at its viewpoint looking over the Nakdong River and the Gimhae plain.

Good to know

The summit marker on Godangbong, carved in Chinese characters, was shattered by lightning on 1 August 2016; a new marker inscribed in Hangeul was put up that October. The national park contains 71 notable natural features such as rock formations and wetlands, and 127 items of national heritage. Much of Geumjeongsanseong collapsed during the Japanese colonial period, but restoration began in 1972: the east, south and west gates were rebuilt by 1974, and the walls and watchtowers were restored in phases between 1996 and 2010.

Tripto tips

• Getting there: take Busan Metro Line 1 to Beomeosa or Oncheonjang Station, then a village bus or a walk to the trailheads. From Beomeosa to Godangbong via the North Gate takes about 1 hour 20 minutes.
• Time needed: three to four hours for the return hike Beomeosa–North Gate–Godangbong; a full day for the fortress wall circuit.
• Best time: spring greenery and autumn foliage. On New Year's Day many people climb for the first sunrise.
• Watch out: trails and facilities are being upgraded since the park was designated, so check the Korea National Park Service for closed sections before you set off.