Juwangsan 722m

Why it is one of the 100 famous mountains

Selected for its breathtaking scenery of bizarre rock peaks and vertical stone walls arranged like a folding screen, earning it the alternate name Seokbyeongsan, and for its designation as a National Park in 1976. It is home to Daejeonsa Temple and Juwangam Hermitage, and the remnants of Jahaseong Fortress around Juwanggul Cave are famous for legends of the battle between King Juwang and the Goryeo army.

About Juwangsan

A secluded paradise that seemed unreachable without the ability to fly. Rushing torrents pour through the entrance of the gorge, flanked by dizzyingly steep cliffs on both sides—a landscape straight out of a martial arts epic. Yet such a mountain exists on this land.

Had the cliff faces around the 1st Waterfall not been carved to make a path in the 1970s, Juwangdongcheon might still remain untouched. While people could have crossed over the saddles near Geumeungwang or Gamebong Peak, none could have entered through the front gateway unless a severe drought dried up Juwang Valley entirely.

Hence, all legend-steeped scenic spots are clustered below the gorge's entrance. Discovered after the era of legends had passed, the waterfalls are simply named 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Waterfalls. Furthermore, Peak 721 is still treated as the mountain's representative summit over the 907-meter peak at the head of the valley, simply because it was the highest peak reachable by those who could not enter the inner gorge.

The same goes for the legend connecting this place to the King of Zhou. Silla history clearly records King Juwon (Kim Ju-won), the prime heir to the throne who never became king, whose discontented son Kim Heon-chang led a devastating rebellion; yet the tales were strangely overwritten with stories of the distant Later Zhou dynasty, which fell over a millennium ago.

Juwangsan National Park is famous for its magnificent cliffs and rock formations unfolding like a folding screen.

Public transport

Direct intercity buses run 5 times daily from East Seoul Bus Terminal, Busan Central Bus Terminal, and Andong Intercity Bus Terminal. Buses toward Cheongsong also operate from Daegu every 40 minutes.