Palgongsan, also Palgong Mountain, and previously called Gongsan, also Gong Mountain during the

Later Three Kingdoms The Later Three Kingdoms period (; c. 890s – 936 AD) of ancient Korea saw a partial revival of the old three kingdoms which had dominated the peninsula from the 1st century BC to the 7th century. After the Unified Silla kingdom had ruled Kor ...

period, is a mountain in southeastern South Korea, lying on an outlier of the Taebaek range. It stands on the northeastern border between

Daegu Daegu (; ), formerly spelled Taegu and officially Daegu Metropolitan City (), is a city in southeastern South Korea. It is the third-largest urban agglomeration in South Korea after Seoul and Busan; the fourth-largest List of provincial-level ci ...

and

North Gyeongsang Province North Gyeongsang Province (, ) is a province in eastern South Korea, and with an area of , it is the largest province in the Korean peninsula. The province was formed in 1896 from the northern half of the former Gyeongsang province, and remaine ...

(including the districts of Chilgok County, Gunwi County,

Yeongcheon Yeongcheon (; ) is a city in North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. Yeongcheon is located southeast of Seoul, in the southeast of North Gyeongsang Province. It is on the Gyeongbu Expressway linking Seoul and Busan, and is also the junction o ...

, and Gyeongsan). Its peak is 1193 m above

sea level Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an mean, average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal Body of water, bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical ...

. The mountain is the site of a number of cultural and natural heritage sites. These include Buddhist shrines from the

Silla Silla (; Old Korean: wikt:徐羅伐#Old Korean, 徐羅伐, Yale romanization of Korean, Yale: Syerapel, Revised Romanization of Korean, RR: ''Seorabeol''; International Phonetic Alphabet, IPA: ) was a Korean kingdom that existed between ...

period or later, including the large and active temple of Donghwasa and the Gunwi Triad Budda Grotto (National Treasure 109). In addition, in the 9th month of 927, the ) was fought between

Hubaekje Later Baekje (, ) was one of the Later Three Kingdoms of Korea, along with Taebong and Silla. Later Baekje was a Korean dynastic kingdom founded by the disaffected Silla general Kyŏn Hwŏn in 900, whom led the local gentry and populace tha ...

and

Goryeo Goryeo (; ) was a Korean state founded in 918, during a time of national division called the Later Three Kingdoms period, that unified and ruled the Korea, Korean Peninsula until the establishment of Joseon in 1392. Goryeo achieved what has b ...

forces on the mountain's southern slope. Natural treasures include the stone Buddha statue of Gatbawi, so-called due to its stone hat which resembles the traditional Korean horsehair hat, or '' gat''. The mountain, connected to downtown

by bus, is a popular site for weekend outings from the city. From 2019 to 2022 and again in 2025, Palgongsan has been selected for the '100 Must-Visit Tourist Spots of Korea,' jointly designated by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the

Korea Tourism Organization The Korea Tourism Organization (KTO; ) is an organization of the Republic of Korea (South Korea) under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. It is commissioned to promote the country's tourism industry. The KTO was established in 1962 ...

History

In the 9th year of King Sinmun of Unified Silla (689 AD), when an attempt was made to move the capital from Seorabeol to Dalgubeol, this mountain was worshiped by the people as the central mountain in the region. In 927, at the time of the

Kyŏn Hwŏn Kyŏn Hwŏn (; 867 – 27 September 936, ruled from 892 – March 935) was the king and founder of Later Baekje, one of the Later Three Kingdoms of Korea, and reigned from 892 to 935. Some records render his name as Chin Hwŏn (). He was also t ...

Later Baekje Later Baekje (, ) was one of the Later Three Kingdoms of Korea, along with Taebong and Silla. Later Baekje was a Korean dynastic kingdom founded by the disaffected Silla general Kyŏn Hwŏn in 900, whom led the local gentry and populace tha ...

led forces into

, capturing and executing King Gyeongae, and installed King Gyeongsun as his puppet monarch before he turned his army toward

. Hearing of the news, Taejo planned a strike with 5,000 cavalrymen to attack Kyŏn's troops on the way back home at this mountain. According to the legend, King Taejo and Sin Sung-gyŏm exchanged their armor so that the king would be able to escape the battlefield. While Taejo escaped the battlefield, Sin and the remaining army fought bravely against the Later Baekje army. But eventually his army was routed and in the woods Sin was shot with arrows and was killed by the enemy. Also Kim Nak who is another general died, and the name of this battle is called the Battle of Gongsan. Taejo escapes from this mountain and flees alone to the mountain (), and he spends a few days hiding in a large cave at the peak of Apsan. While Taejo retreated from the battle and went to Apsan Mountain, he left many place names related to him in

. Portions of the mountain were designated a

provincial park Ischigualasto Provincial Park A provincial park (or territorial park) is a park administered by one of the provinces of a country, as opposed to a national park. They are similar to state parks in other countries. They are typically open to the ...

in May 1980. Portions of the mountain were designated a

national park A national park is a nature park designated for conservation (ethic), conservation purposes because of unparalleled national natural, historic, or cultural significance. It is an area of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that is protecte ...

in 23 May 2023.

Trail

* Palgongsan Olleh-gil: This trail follows the apple orchards filled with Pyeonggwang Apples at the foot of Mount Palgong. The trail takes about three hours to hike in total. This route starts from the Hyoja tree Gangsunhang at the entrance of Pyeonggwang-dong, and hike through the small reservoir of Pyeonggwangji finally arriving at the Moyeongjae, which is a house where the stone monument of General Sin Sung-gyŏm stands. The time to visit this trail is in the spring (April–May) when visitors can see the apple blossoms, and in the fall when the apples are ready to be picked. As follow the apple orchards along the valleys, visitors will find Cheombaekdang, which is a house built for the spirit of hyoja (devoted son) Woo Hyo-jung and seonbi (scholar) Woo Myŏng-sik.

Course: Pyeonggwang-dong entrance - Pyeonggwang Elementary School - Pyeonggwangji - Moyeongjae - Jaebau farm - Cheombaekdang - Pyeonggwang station (Round-trip 4.6 miles, 2 hours 30 minutes. Level: Easy)

Cultural references

*'' Taejo Wang Geon'' (2000–2002) *' - Episode 73 (2018) *''Taejo Wang Geon'' (2022)

References

Mountains of Daegu Mountains of North Gyeongsang Province Dong District, Daegu Chilgok County Gunwi County Yeongcheon Gyeongsan National parks of South Korea

History

Trail

Cultural references

See also

References