Hangyesanseong Fortress opens to public exploration for the first time in about 50 years

(Inje = Yonhap News) Reporter Park Young-seo = 'Hangyesanseong', a national heritage historic site that preserves the history of the anti-Mongolian resistance, opens for the first time in about 50 years.

Inje-gun, Gangwon-do, will hold an event commemorating the opening of Hangyesanseong Fortress on the 1st of next month under the theme of ‘Impregnable Fortress, Opening a Thousand Years of Memories’.

The opening ceremony will feature celebratory performances, traditional martial arts performances, a trail opening ceremony, and commemorative trekking.

The newly opened Hangyesanseong Trail is a 0.9km section from the Hangyesanseong Fortress Exploration Support Center parking lot to the Hangyesanseong Fortress Haseong South Gate, and the round trip takes about an hour.

Hangyesanseong Fortress has not been included in the official legal trail within Seoraksan National Park for about 50 years, so public exploration has been restricted.

Accordingly, its historical value as a historic site of the anti-Mongolian uprising and overcoming the national crisis has also not received sufficient attention.

The county established a comprehensive maintenance plan for Hangyesanseong Fortress in 2012 and applied for designation as a national heritage site through two excavations and academic conferences, and was designated as a national heritage historic site in October 2019.

Afterwards, in order to open it to the public, business agreements were signed twice with the National Park Service and various administrative procedures were followed step by step.

Since last year, the county and the Seoraksan National Park Office have been discussing efficient operation plans for the visitor infrastructure, including the visitor support center, restrooms, parking lots, and trails.

The trail is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. year-round, except during forest fire warning periods.

Both organizations will conduct a trial operation through on-site reservations until December of this year.

Starting in 2027, a flexible online reservation system will be operated using the national park reservation system.

The Seoraksan National Park Office, which was entrusted with the operation and management of the trail by the military, prepared various experiential events such as hiking safety classes, carbon neutrality experience, eco-stencil of excavated artifacts at Mt. Hansanseong, national park ranger experience, and Seoraksan promotional photo exhibition in order to provide safe exploration services and publicize the value of national heritage in the national park.

The county expects that opening the trail will bring new vitality to local communities in marginal areas.

Meanwhile, the marginal area is experiencing social and economic hollowing out due to development restrictions due to the designation of the Seoraksan Mountain Natural Reserve and Seoraksan National Park, and a decrease in floating population after the opening of the Misiryeong Tunnel and the Chuncheon-Yangyang Expressway.

Hyeongjun Yoon, head of the local heritage team, said, "After a long period of preparation, we have opened a trail that can share historical value with the public. We will preserve precious national heritage through safe and systematic operation, and at the same time develop Hangyesanseong Fortress to become a historical and cultural tourism resource that adds new vitality to the region."