Yudalsan Mountain

Rising right behind Mokpo's old town, Yudalsan is only 228 m high, but its rocky peaks stand like a folding screen, and it has long been called the "Gaegolsan of Honam", after the winter name of the Diamond Mountains. It is one of the Eight Views of Mokpo and the city's emblem, and from the top you can see the islands of the southwest sea, the port and the old town. Because the mountain is small, you can cover its rocks and pavilions in an hour or so.

What to see

• Ildeung Bawi: the summit rock, "first rock", followed by the second and third rocks along the ridge. The stair-and-railing path between them is short but steep.
• Pavilions and lookouts: several pavilions along the way invite you to stop and look down over the town and the harbour.
• Nojeokbong: a rock outcrop about 60 m high at the foot of the mountain. During the second Japanese invasion of the 1590s, Admiral Yi Sun-sin is said to have covered it with rice straw so that it looked like a huge pile of army grain, and to have tipped white clay into the sea at dawn so the water looked like rice-washing water, tricking the enemy into retreating. A statue of the admiral stands opposite.
• Opodae: the spot where a cannon once fired at noon to tell the time, with a replica gun and an information board.
• "Tears of Mokpo" song monument: a memorial to the famous song recorded by singer Lee Nan-young.
• Mokpo Sculpture Park: created at the foot of the mountain in 1982, Korea's first outdoor sculpture park.

Cable car and night views

The Mokpo Marine Cable Car, opened in 2019, runs about 3.23 km from the North Port via a Yudalsan station across the water to Gohado island. You can hop off at Yudalsan for a walk and ride on later. At night the summit and peaks are floodlit, so the rocky ridge seems to float above the city, although the lighting has also drawn criticism as light pollution.

Good to know

Two beacon-fire stations once stood on the summit, which looks far out to sea, but no trace remains. Yudalsan is also a native habitat of the rare silk tree Albizia kalkora. Every spring the Yudalsan Flower Festival (formerly the forsythia festival) turns the slopes yellow.

The loop trail and other sights

There is no official circular trail, but the paths halfway up the mountain link into a loop: from the junction above Yuseongak via Arirang Pass, the sunset lookout junction, the Maritime University back-gate junction and the fishermen's hill junction, past the Soyojeong and Gwanungak pavilions and back towards Yuseongak. It is a good choice if you want the sea views without climbing to the summit.

Around the lower slopes you will find the old temple Dalseongsa, an orchid garden and a native plant garden. Many visitors also follow the Yudalsan ring road on foot or by car.

Tripto tips

• Visiting: the mountain and Nojeokbong are open at all times; admission and parking are free.
• Route: from Nojeokbong past the pavilions up to Ildeung Bawi and back takes 1–2 hours. A path also circles the mountain halfway up.
• When to go: sunsets over the islands from the sunset lookout are famous, and the spring flower festival is the most colourful time.
• Nearby: the Mokpo Modern History Museum (Building 1) is right by Nojeokbong, so it pairs well with a walk through the old town's colonial-era streets.
• Phone: Nojeokbong tourist information +82 61-270-8411.