The city of Seoul is in view from some routes at Bukhansan, one of South Korea’s most popular climbing spots.

South Korea

GYEONGGI-DO/JEJU

RECOMMENDED BY John Burgman

It’s been said that 70 percent of South Korea is made up of mountains. “I’m not sure where people get that statistic from,” John Burgman ventured, “but I think it could be true. Wherever I’ve been in the country, I’m either on a mountain or can see one. And it seems that most have been developed with climbing routes. There are more than four thousand routes in the country now, most on sturdy granite, and all easily accessible. Although South Korea is a very mountainous country, it’s also home to some of the world’s densest urban areas. Korean society values health and fitness; it seems that the density of the cities makes them conducive to little hole-in-the-wall climbing and bouldering gyms. Given the proximity of the mountains to the cities and the many gyms, you have so many options. You’re left wondering, ‘Where do I begin?’”

Climbing might not be the first thing to come to mind when one thinks of South Korea, what with its high-tech success stories and high-quality education system. But the truth is, climbing has become hugely popular in recent years, undoubtedly thanks in part to that booming tech industry—and all the extra disposable income its workers have to spend on leisure activities. Another factor that’s contributed to climbing’s spike in popularity is the success of the competitive climber Jain Kim. Her many victories have been well documented in Korean media, raising public awareness of rock climbing. Perhaps the most important factor that’s led to climbing’s growth in Korea is the social opportunities the sport provides—especially in gym settings. “Korea has a very strong grounding in Confucianism,” John continued, “and Confucianism places great importance on the collective—the group rather than the individual. You see this everywhere—bath houses, karaoke bars, restaurants. There are always large groups together. This collectivism extends to sports. Where American climbers might have a partner or two, Korean climbers will have a crew. It’s very formalized. They’ll make flags and T-shirts with the name of their crew, and keep social media accounts for their crew. If you’re lucky enough to be brought in, you’re no longer just a climber, but an active participant in a social entity. It’s like a second family that’s devoted to having fun while climbing.”

Most international adventures to South Korea will begin in Seoul. This works out well, as there’s some great climbing to be found in Gyeonggi-do Province. “If you’re willing to travel an hour or two, you can climb around Seoul for weeks,” John enthused. “The most famous mountain—and one that’s just north of Seoul—is Bukhansan. Bukhansan is unique for Korea, as many of its routes are multi-pitch. But be forewarned—Bukhansan is the most popular outdoor area near Seoul, and you will see crowds. I prefer two other areas that are an hour and a half outside of Seoul: Jobisan and Namhansan. At Jobisan, you’re climbing these great wedges of granite. You’ll be walking through the forest and will suddenly come to this expanse of rock. You’ll be blown away by the quality of the stone. At Namhansan, dirt paths lead you through the forest past Buddhist statues and other religious iconography. You feel like you’re traveling to a hallowed place, not just going climbing. You lose yourself in it, and then all of the sudden the path opens up to this huge crag and you remember, ‘Oh yeah, I’m on a climbing trip.’ There are about twenty routes, with some shallow roof sections that you need to climb over. It’s never too overhanging, but physical enough. You earn those cold beers back in the city.”

Jeju can feel a world away from Gyeonggi-do, though it is only an hour’s flight south. “It’s an island of wonderful quirks,” John described, “totally different from anywhere else in Korea, with palm trees, beach huts, seaside coffee shops. It’s a place made for curious exploration. Jeju is volcanic in makeup, and climbing is not on mountain faces, but on the stony banks of dried-out riverbeds. They’re all single pitch; you’re climbing up from the riverbeds. There’s also great bouldering in many of the riverbeds. You just follow the riverbed along until you come to something interesting.”

Hard or breakthrough climbs are not the only narratives of a great climbing experience. As John notes, sometimes the best parts of a climbing trip are the parts that weren’t planned at all. “One time when I first got to Jeju, I connected with a friend to go bouldering,” he recalled. “I was eager to find some challenging routes to test myself. We had our crash pads, and set off down a riverbed looking for some good stuff to climb. We found some spots that people had told us about, but pretty soon we slipped into looking for our own problems. Eventually we ended up at a puddle that was swimming with hundreds of Oriental fire-bellied toads. They’re just an inch or two long, with green backs and bright orange bellies. We were mesmerized. Then my friend shared some kimbap she’d made, a kind of seaweed and rice roll that’s popular as a snack food. Soon after, we were napping on our crash pads. As the sun was going down, we woke up and hiked back out.

“I found this all amusing. I’d set out that morning planning to find something hard and climb it. Instead, we made up our own routes, came upon some frogs, had some homemade snacks and a great nap. It’s not an epic tale, but it was spontaneous. I think the Korean climbing landscape is a wonderful entrée into such spontaneity.”

JOHN BURGMAN is the author of Island Solitaire (based on his adventures in South Korea) and Why We Climb: A Dirtbag’s Quest for Vertical Reason. He is currently writing a book on the history of competition climbing. He is also a former editor at Outdoor Life magazine and a Fulbright journalism grant recipient. His writing has appeared online or in print at Climbing, Esquire, Gym Climber, The Rumpus, Portland Review, and other outlets. John’s climbing and camping adventures have taken him around the world, but he recently settled in Boulder, Colorado.

If You Go

▶ Getting There: Seoul is served by most major carriers. A number of domestic carriers serve Jeju.

▶ Best Time to Visit: Though there can be good conditions in the spring and summer, fall is generally best—with the added benefit of superb foliage.

▶ Level of Difficulty: Both Gyeonggi-do and Jeju offer a variety of climbing options, though big-wall aficionados will find the abundance of single-pitch climbs a bit lacking.

▶ Guides: John suggests visiting Korean Facebook groups like Seoul Climbers to gather information . . . or, better yet, visit a few climbing gyms in Seoul (there are nearly fifty) and chat up climbers (most can speak English).

▶ Accommodations: Korea has many guesthouses (comparable to hostels) that are well suited to budget travelers. www.guesthouseinseoul.org is a starting point for such lodging in Seoul; www.guesthouseinjejuisland.com in Jeju.