Unjangsan 1,126m

Why it is one of the 100 famous mountains

Selected for being home to the Daebulcheon Stream valley famous for Uniram and Baniram, featuring clean water, beautiful scenery surrounded by rock cliffs and forests, and a natural recreation forest. It is also famous for Chilseongdae, imbued with the legend of the Big Dipper, and Oseongdae, tied to the lore of Song Ik-pil of the Joseon Dynasty.

About Unjangsan

It is the highest peak of the Geumnamjeongmaek Ridge and the highest peak in the inland region of Jeollabuk-do. Originally named Gujeolsan, it was renamed Unjangsan during the mid-Joseon period after the courtesy name (Unjang) of Song Ik-pil, a behind-the-scenes powerbroker of the Westerners faction. Over a thousand people, including Jeong Yeo-rip and his followers (mostly scholars of Jeollabuk-do), were killed in the Gichuk Oksa (Purge of 1589) that Song was said to have orchestrated, and the mountain's name seems to have been renamed amid that turmoil.

To the left and right of the summit lie Seobong Peak and Dongbong Peak. Below Seobong Peak is Oseongdae, where Song Ik-pil is said to have stayed in hiding after his father—who had risen to the senior third rank by falsely informing that his master was plotting treason as a lowborn—fell back into lowborn status. There, he seems to have finalized his conspiracy to entangle Jeong Yeo-rip, located right across at Jukdo. The most scenic part on the eastern side of the mountain is Gubongsan, which shares the same pronunciation as Song Ik-pil's pen name.

Unjangsan spans Jucheon-myeon, Jeongcheon-myeon, and Bugwi-myeon in Jinan-gun, and Dongsang-myeon in Wanju-gun, Jeollabuk-do. Water flowing to the south and north empties into the Geumgang River, while water flowing down the western valley passes Dongsang-myeon in Wanju-gun into the Mankyeonggang River, serving as the headwaters for both rivers. Past Chilseongdae, which holds the legend of the Big Dipper, and further uphill is Oseongdae, traditionally known as the retreat of Song Ik-pil, a Neo-Confucian scholar of concubine-born descent during the reign of King Jungjong of the Joseon Dynasty.

Main hiking courses include trails ascending from Gunghang-ri or Hwanggeum-ri in Bugwi-myeon, from Sinwol-ri in Dongsang-myeon, Wanju-gun, and trails starting from Jungsa and Oecheosa-dong villages in Jucheon-myeon heading toward Dongbong Peak.

Public transport

The starting point is Jinan. From Jinan, buses to Naecheosa-dong run 7 times a day, but there is no bus to Unjangsan Rest Area. Buses heading to Uniram and Baniram operate every hour. Buses to Jinan depart 4 times daily from Seoul Gangnam Express Bus Terminal and Busan Sasang Bus Terminal. Buses run every 10 minutes from Jeonju, every 30 minutes from Daegu, and every hour from Daejeon.