Foreigners are flocking to Korea's national parks, but with adventure comes risk

The Korean mountains are not to be underestimated, with a slew of accidents in May On the slopes of Baegundae, the highest peak in Mount Bukhan in northern Seoul, the queue of climbers grinds to a halt on a spring day in early May. A young woman grips onto the steel rail running up the steep rocky slab. Tears roll down her cheeks, her breath is hasty — she tries to compose herself. Hikers descending in the other direction offer words of encouragement, and she manages a panicked chuckle before pressing on. Getting into the mountains is extremely easy in Korea. Trails are accessible by public transport and well-maintained. This is a major factor drawing troves of foreign visitors to Korea's national parks. However, that accessibility can be dangerous, leading beginner-level hikers to take on dicey routes that require experience and correct gear. The last hour of climbing Baegundae is not for the faint of heart. In multiple sections, the lanky steel rail is the only thing keeping climbers from slipping down a dome of rock that quickly goes vertical. The young woman's fear was completely justified. The month of May made it clear that the mountains are unpredictable. An 11-year-old boy was found dead from a fatal fall after going missing in Mount Juwang, North Gyeongsang, on May 12. Two hikers suffered falls of five and seven meters in Mount Seorak over Buddha's Birthday weekend, with a third hiker collapsing from cardiac arrest. Danger in numbers The heights aren't the main problem — it's the sheer number of climbers that flock to the mountains on a sunny weekend or public holiday. Take Mount Bukhan on Children's Day, a public holiday. Being just an hour away from central Seoul by bus, it was crawling with people. The same goes for Mount Gwanak in Gwanak District, southern Seoul, which has become even more popular due to the recent belief that reaching its peak brings good luck. Mount Seorak in Gangwon to the east near the coastal city of Sokcho is also highly popular and just a three-hour bus ride away. The steep, narrow stairs of Mount Bukhan, built into the mountainside, combined with the number of people climbing them, mean that only one person must lose their footing for the rest to fall like dominoes. There's also the grueling wait in the queue for the summit, where hikers are exposed to baking hot sun on the exposed ridgeline, vulnerable to dehydration or heat stroke. The same goes for other peaks and parks in Korea. At Mount Gwanak, there are tamer options for reaching its apex, Yeonjudae, than Mount Bukhan, but there's also no one to stop you from traversing its razor-sharp ridge, which lacks protective rails. While some climbers carefully navigated Yeonjudae's rocky spine, three boys in baggy jeans, blasting K-rap, leaped from rock to rock, overtaking the cautious climbers at the peril of everyone, themselves most of all. Foreign visitors to the parks have increased dramatically. Over 2 million foreigners visited Korean national parks in 2025, a 131 percent increase from 2024, when 885,000 foreign visitors were recorded. There were 123 incidents in the parks in 2025 — 10 fatalities and 113 injuries. This was five more incidents than in 2024. The surge hasn't let up in 2026. At Mount Seorak, crowds of hikers surged through the gates at the crack of dawn to get a taste of the mountains after the 73-day spring closure. Approximately 16,000 walked the mountain that day. Korean National Park Service spokesperson Choi Seung-hwan said there are risks associated with increased visitor numbers, but rescue and safety measures have been stepped up to address them. There were 22 cases of illegal or disorderly behavior, including entering unauthorized trails, bivouacking and illegally dumping trash over that opening May weekend. Few checks and balances Climbers raced to Seoraksan as early as 2 a.m. to miss the crowds and catch the sunrise. Ascending Daecheongbong, the park's highest mountain, from the Sokcho-facing side off...