Geomeun Oreum (), popularly called Geum Oreum () and alternately called Geumak (), is an ''

oreum ''Oreum'' () refers to the around 360 small rising extinct volcanoes on Jeju Island, in Jeju Province, South Korea. They are commonly described as cinder cones or parasitic cones, and are often inside larger volcanic craters. Etymology The wor ...

'' (small

extinct volcano A volcano is commonly defined as a vent or fissure in the Crust (geology), crust of a planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and volcanic gas, gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface. On Earth ...

;

parasitic cone A parasitic cone (also adventive cone, satellite cone, satellitic cone or lateral cone) is the cone-shaped accumulation of volcanic material not part of the central vent of a volcano. It forms from eruptions from fractures on the flank of the ...

) in

Hallim Hallim () is a Eup (administrative division), town located in Jeju City, Jeju Province, South Korea. The population of Hallim is 20,910 people and 10,737 households (10,776 men and 10,134 women, as of December 2023). The island Biyangdo (Hallim), ...

Jeju City Jeju City (; ) is the capital of the Jeju Province in South Korea and the largest city on Jeju Island. The city is served by Jeju International Airport (IATA code CJU). Located on an island off the Korean Peninsula, Jeju has mild, warm weather ...

, South Korea.

Toponymy

The ''oreum'''s name possibly refers to the color black, in reference to its dark soil. "Geom" may also mean "god", suggesting that the ''oreum'' had an important local spiritual role.

Description

Its highest point is above sea level. It has a height from base of , and covers an area of . It has a conical shape. There is a

cell tower A cell site, cell phone tower, cell base tower, or cellular base station is a cellular-enabled mobile device site where antennas and electronic communications equipment are placed (typically on a radio mast, tower, or other raised structure) ...

at the summit, as well as a guard post. There is a

caldera A caldera ( ) is a large cauldron-like hollow that forms shortly after the emptying of a magma chamber in a volcanic eruption. An eruption that ejects large volumes of magma over a short period of time can cause significant detriment to the str ...

around deep at the top of the mountain called Wangmae or Ammae (). It has an area of . Within the crater is a marshy area that develops a pond after rain. This area is called Geumakdam (). Amphibians live in this marshy area and have been affected by human activity at the top. The ''oreum'' is on privately-owned land. Before 2009, livestock used to graze on the ''oreum''; they were relocated in order to accommodate the safety of tourists. The owners of the ''oreum'' dispose of waste on the ''oreum'' and maintain its infrastructure. It is popular for tourists, as it is normally possible to drive up to the summit. From the top, tourists can engage in

paragliding Paragliding is the recreational and competitive adventure sport of flying paragliders: lightweight, free-flying, foot-launched glider aircraft with no rigid primary structure. The pilot sits in a harness or in a cocoon-like 'pod' suspended be ...

. A 2017 news article reported that driving up to the very top was restricted. The top reportedly has views of

Hallasan Hallasan () is a shield volcano comprising much of Jeju Island in South Korea. Its summit, at , is the highest point in the country. The area around the mountain is a designated national park, named Hallasan National Park. Hallasan is commonly ...

and Sanbangsan. In 2017, it was reported that the ''oreum'' had an influx of popularity after it was featured in a TV program. For other publicly-owned ''oreum'', such as Yongnuni Oreum, the local government enacted halts on tourist activity in order to safeguard the environment. As this ''oreum'' is privately owned, the owners declined to do so. There is also a trail that goes up the ''oreum'', and one through its forests. The forest trail opened in 2009. During the 1910–1945 Japanese colonial period, tunnels were dug into the ''oreum''. Locals hid inside these tunnels during the 1948

Jeju uprising The Jeju uprising (in South Korea, the ''Jeju April 3 incident'', ) was an insurrection on Jeju Island, South Korea from April 1948 to May 1949. A year prior to its start, residents of Jeju had begun protesting elections scheduled by the Un ...

References

{{reflist Mountains of Jeju Province Cinder cones Tourist attractions in Jeju Province Jeju City