Yongnuni Oreum

In Jongdal-ri, Gujwa-eup, on the east side of Jeju, rises a small volcano of soft, rounded curves. It is 247.8 m above sea level but only 88 m above the surrounding land, yet from the top you see three linked craters and a view that reaches Seongsan Ilchulbong and Udo island. This is Yongnuni Oreum, said to have been the favourite oreum of the photographer Kim Young-gap, who devoted his life to Jeju.

Name and landscape

"Oreum" is the Jeju word for the small volcanoes scattered around Hallasan. Yongnuni measures 2,685 m around and covers about 400,000 m². Three peaks centred on the north-eastern summit surround an oval crater, the whole cone forms a shallow horseshoe open to the east, and two small parasitic cones cling to its western foot. Because it combines several types of crater, it is described as a rare oreum with three craters among the 360 or so on Jeju.

There are several explanations for the name, which contains the word for dragon (yong). The hollow in the middle looks like the place where a dragon lay, or played, or, seen from above, the crater resembles a dragon's eye. Old maps record it as Yongyuak, Yonganak and Yongwaak.

What to see

• Ridge walk: the slopes are gentle and the hill is low, so it suits families. Grass covers it in spring and summer, silver grass in autumn and winter.
• Three craters: following the summit ridge, you look down into the hollows of the craters.
• Eastern views: Seongsan Ilchulbong, Udo and the crowd of nearby oreum such as Darangshi. Sonji Oreum, a little over 1 km away, and Darangshi and Akkeun Darangshi, about 2 km away, overlap in layers, the signature landscape of Jeju's eastern oreum country.

An oreum given a rest

After appearing on a TV variety show in 2017, Yongnuni drew huge crowds. The trails eroded so badly that grass could no longer grow on the summit, so from February 2021 the oreum was closed for a rest period of more than two years, during which the trails were rebuilt before it reopened. The route was changed and soft coconut-fibre matting was laid along it to stop the soil from wearing away. A scene of the two leads running and playing in the film "A Werewolf Boy" was also shot here.

Tripto tips

• Access: always open, with free admission and parking. There are toilets at the car park. A small shop stands at the trailhead.
• Please respect it: stay on the marked trails and take your rubbish home. The oreum could be closed again for protection, so check with the Jeju tourist information line (064-740-6000) before you go.
• When to go: it is very windy, so bring a windproof layer. Early morning and late afternoon, when the light is low, show off the curves of the ridge best.
• Time needed: about 1 hour to walk the summit ridge and come back down. Many visitors combine it with Darangshi Oreum, about 2 km away. To see more of Kim Young-gap's work, visit the special exhibition of his donated photographs at Jeju National Museum, running until 1 March 2027.