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Mt.Backdu
Jejudo
Ieodo
World Natural Heritage
What are the natural heritages of Korea well-known to the world?
There
are Jejudo
Jeju Volcanic Island and Lava Tubes(registered
with UNESCO in 2004), Baekdu
mountain
as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve(in 1989), and Properties submitted on the
Tentative List of Myohyang
Mountain, Kumgang Mountain, Chilbo Mountain
and Caves
in Kujang Area
in 2000.
Koreans'
recognition of Baekdu
Mountainas(白頭山)
a nationally sacred mountain has stemmed from their belief that Baekdu Mountain
was the stage for the Dangun
legend.
In Samguk Yusa, Hwanung,
or Supreme Divine Regent,
descended upon Mt. Taebaek(太白山) and reigned over the human world. With Ungyeo
(bear-woman), he bore Dangun, and the legend of
Dangun
is known to have occurred on
Mt. Taebaek, now
known as Mt.
Baekdu.
As belief spread among Koreans that Baekdu Mountain was the stage for the legend
for the founding of Korea, Baekdu
Mountain
became recognized as a nationally scared mountain.
In
addition, worship of Baekdu Mountain began as Baekdu Mountain became recognized
as the nation’s foundation (i.e., Mt. Jojong, 祖宗山) from the Koryo/Goryeo
period. According to Koryo/Goryeo
History, the name Baekdu Mountain first appeared at the end of the 10th century,
and the region surrounding Baekdu Mountain was believed to have been a part of
Koryo/Goryeo.
Due to the influence of the theory of divination based on topography during this
time, Baekdu Mountain was purported to be the foundation of other mountains in
Korea, and from which other mountain ranges flowed. Baekdu Mountain thus became
a significant object of worship. Sacrificial rites for Baekdu Mountain have been
practiced since the Koryo/Goryeo
period.
While these rites were temporarily suspended during the Choson/Joseon era
of
King Sejong(世宗大王),
they were reinstated from King Yongjo's reign(英祖).
These
assertions demonstrate China's denial of the fact that Baekdu Mountain is a
common heritage that was jointly possessed by Korea and China for more than one
thousand years. The name "Mt.
Baekdu"
appeared in Korea at the end of the 10th century and the name "Mt. Jangbaek"
appeared in China at the start of the 11th century. Since then, both countries
have jointly owned the Baekdu Mountain area. After the Chosun/Joseon and Qing
Dynasties erected a border monument on the southeast edge of Baekdu Mountain in
1712(白頭山 定界碑), North Korea(DPRK) and China entered into the 1962
PRC-North Korea Border Treaty(朝中邊境條約),
which stated that the Baekdu Mountain area would be utilized as an area for
meetings and exchanges between the two countries until the mountain's
partitioning. Thus, Baekdu Mountain acted as a boundary for the two countries.
Lake CheonJi, Baekdu Mountain
There
are Baekdu
mountain
as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, Jejudo Jeju Volcanic Island and Lava Tubes, and
Properties submitted on the Tentative List of Myohyang Mountain, Kumgang
Mountain, Chilbo Mountain and Caves in Kujang Area(in 2000).
In
1979, China registered Changbai Mountain(長白山) as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve; the
State Council designated Mt.
Baekdu
as a national-level natural protection zone in 1986 and has since managed it.
and DPRK also registered Baekdu Mountain(白頭山) in 1989. Currently, China plans to
obtain a UNESCO World Natural Heritage designation for Baekdu
Mountain(or Mt. Changbai
in Chinese) as Chinese territory, as raising international awareness of Baekdu
Mountain and is effective to promote tourism industry.
It
might be fair to call this the “Mt. Baekdu Project” of incorporating
the old territory of Koguryo(Goguryeo),
an ancient Korean kingdom,
into Chinese history, as it follows the Northeast Asia Project that focused on
incorporating its history into China’s.
Mt.
Baekdu has long been managed by the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture, where
people of Korean origin collectively reside. Last year, the Jilin Provincial
Government established the “Committee for Protection, Development and Management
of Mt. Changbai,” an organization directly belonging to the provincial
government and responsible for management of the mountain.
Mt.
Changbai Airport, which is currently constructed in Fusong County 36 kilometers
away from the North Korean border, is opened. The Chinese Government is also
sparing no investment to expand the transportation networks near Mt. Baekdu, and
is planning to complete construction of the Mt. Changbai Eastern Railroad, three
highway networks and circular roadways in the next three years.
The
Chinese government recently held the first tourism festival near Mt. Baekdu;
they are also active in attracting tourists from Russia and other foreign
countries by holding the Yanbian Korean ethnic exposition. They also seek to
stimulate the economy by developing mineral water in the areas nearby Mt. Baekdu
and expanding cultivation of ginseng there.
Meanwhile,
the Chinese government is reportedly seeking to register as UNESCO
world cultural heritage
the remnants of
the Sanggyeong Yongcheonbu,
which is the old capital of another ancient
Korean kingdom—Balhae(海東盛國)—located
in the Bohai Bay, Ningan City, Heilongjiang Province.
With
Baekdu Mountain is registered as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve of two nations, how
about if both China and North Korea jointly register Baekdu Mountain(白頭山) as
a
UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site? The
prevailing view is that China should jointly seek the UNESCO designation with
North Korea.
The
designation of Baekdu Mountain as a natural heritage site jointly shared by
North Korea and China would lead to greater cooperation and exchange in
Northeast Asia.
Northeast
Asia has a regional history where each neighboring country has formed its own
historical account of events and even distorts them.
Wars
and invasions have been a part of a painful history for of Northeast Asia.
Historical wounds remain unhealed, causing lingering tensions.
Nations
should make concerted efforts in nurturing an attitude of mutual respect in
order to bring peace and prosperity to Northeast Asia.
Baekdu
Mountain,
also known as Changbai Mountain in China, is a volcanic mountain on the border
between North Korea and China, located at 42°00′24′N 128°03′18′E / 42.00667°N
128.055°E / 42.00667; 128.055. At 2,744 m (9,003 ft), it is the highest mountain
of the Changbai mountain range to the north and Baekdudaegan
mountain
(白頭大諫)range to the south. It is also the highest mountain on the Korean
peninsula and Manchuria.
The
Korean name, Baekdu-san (백두산,
白頭山;
Korean pronunciation: [paektusan), means "white-headed mountain". The Chinese
name, Changbai Shan (長白山/?白山), means "ever-white mountain". English-language
volcanology resources often refer to the mountain as Baitoushan from the Chinese
pinyin rendering of the Korean Hanja 白頭山. Other alternative names include
Paektu-san
and
Bai Yun Feng.
A
large crater lake, called Heaven Lake (Korean:천지, Chinese:天池), is located within
the caldera atop the mountain.
Jongdeoksa Temple located lake side
of Choji, 1906
Geography
and geology
Heaven
Lake(天地, 천지)
Baekdu
Mountain is stratovolcano whose cone is truncated by a large caldera, about 5 km
(3.1 miles) wide and 850 m (2,789 ft) deep, partially filled by the waters of
Heaven Lake. The caldera was created by a major eruption in 969 AD (± 20
years).] Volcanic ash from this eruption has been found as far away as the
southern part of Hokkaid? of Japan. The lake has a circumference of 12 to 14
kilometres (7.5-8.7 miles), with an average depth of 213 m (699 ft) and maximum
depth of 384 m (1,260 ft). From mid-October to mid-June, the lake is typically
covered with ice.
The
central section of the mountain rises about 3 mm every year, due to rising
levels of magma below the central part of the mountain. Sixteen peaks exceeding
2,500 m (8,200 ft) line the caldera rim surrounding Heaven Lake. The highest
peak, called Janggun Peak, is covered in snow about eight months of the year.
The slope is relatively gentle until about 1,800 metres (5,905 ft).
Water
flows north out of the lake, and near the outlet there is a 70 metre (230 ft)
waterfall. The mountain is the source of the Songhua, Tumen (Duman) and Yalu
(Amnok) rivers.
Climate
The
weather on the mountain can be very erratic. The annual average temperature at
the peak is about -8.3 degrees Celsius (17 degrees Fahrenheit). During summer,
temperatures of about 18 degrees Celsius can be reached, and during winter
temperatures can drop to -48 degrees Celsius (-54 degrees Fahrenheit). Average
temperature is -24 degrees Celsius (-11 degrees Fahrenheit) in January, 10
degrees Celsius (50 degrees Fahrenheit) in July, remaining below freezing for
eight months of the year. Average wind speed is 11.7 metres per second, reaching
an average of 17.6 m/s in December. Relative humidity averages 74%. In recent
decades, there has been significant climate warming on the mountain. Summer snow
cover on the peak has reduced dramatically during that time.
Flora
and fauna
Painting
from the Manchu Veritable Records
There
are five known species of plants in the lake on the peak, and some 168 were
counted along its shores. The area is a known habitat for tigers, bears,
leopards, wolves, and wild boars. Deer in the mountain forests, which cover the
mountain up to about 2000 metres, are of the Paekdusan roe deer kind. Many wild
birds such as black grouse, owls, and woodpecker are known to inhabit the area.
The forest on the Chinese side is ancient and almost unaltered by humans. Birch
predominates near the tree line, and pine lower down, mixed with other species.
In recent decades, significant climate warming has resulted in changes in the
structure of the ancient forests on the upper slopes, with a change over from
birch to more pine, and a thickening of the forest canopy. There has been
extensive deforestation on the lower slopes on the North Korean side of the
mountain.
History
The
Baekdu Mountain has been worshipped
by the surrounding peoples throughout history. Both the Koreans
and Manchus
(an ethnic group in China) consider it the place of their ancestral
origin.
Korea
Koreans
consider Mount Baekdu as the place of their ancestral origin and as a sacred
mountain, one of the three “spirited” mountains; the one contained in the
legendary foundation of Korea. From the beginning of history through the
Three
Kingdoms (Koguryo,
Shila and Baekje)
period,
to the Koryo/Goryeo and Choson/Joseon Dynasties, Koreans have spiritually
depended upon the “divine”
mountain.
The
mountain was considered sacred by Koreans throughout history. The legendary
beginning of Korea's first kingdom, Gojoseon (2333 BC-108 BC), takes place here.
Many subsequent kingdoms of Korea, such as
Buyeo, Goguryeo, Balhae, Goryeo
and Joseon,
considered the mountain sacred and held worshipping rituals for the
mountain.
The
Koryo(Goryeo) dynasty (932-1392)
first called the mountain Baekdu , recording that the Jurchens across the Yalu
River were made to live outside of Baekdu Mountain. The Choson(Joseon)
Dynasty (1392-1910)
recorded volcanic eruptions in 1597, 1668, and 1702. The 15th century, King
Sejong the Great strengthened the fortification along the Tumen and Yalu rivers,
making the mountain a natural border with the northern peoples. Some Koreans
claim that the entire region near Baekdu Mountain and the Tumen River belongs to
Korea and part of it was illegally sold by Japanese colonialists to China
through the Gando
Convention.
Dense
forest around the mountain provided bases for Korean armed resistance against
the Japanese occupation, and later communist guerrillas during the Korean War.
China
It
was first recorded in the Chinese classic text Shan Hai Jing with the name
Buxian Shan (不咸山,?神仙山, the Mountain with God). It's also called Shanshan Daling
(單單大嶺, the Big Big Big Mountain. 《說文》：“單，大也。”) in the Canonical Book of the
Eastern Han Dynasty. In the Canonical Book of the Tang Dynasty, it was called
Taibai Shan (太白山, the Grand Old White Mountain). The current Chinese name
Changbai Shan（長白山, Perpetually White Mountain）was first used in the Liao Dynasty
(907-1125) and then the Jurchen Jin Dynasty (1115-1234).
The
Jurchen Jin Dynasty (1115-1234) bestowed the title "the King Who Makes the
Nation Prosperous and Answers with Miracles" (興國靈應王, Xingguo Lingying Wang) on
the mountain god in 1172 and it was promoted to "the Emperor Who Cleared the Sky
with Tremendous Sagehood" (開天宏聖帝, Kaitian Hongsheng Emperor) in 1193. During the
Manchu Qing Dynasty, the Kangxi Emperor designated Changbai Mountain as the
legendary birthplace of the imperial family Aisin Gioro following a survey,
although it is no longer supported. He set a forbidden zone around the mountain,
although it was still in dispute whether it was part of Korea (Joseon) or China.
The Qing Dynasty held annual rites for the mountain, as did the earlier Jin
Dynasty.
Border
disputes
Because
of the continuous entry of Korean people into Gando, a region in Manchuria that
lay between the Tumen and Yalu Rivers, in 1712, Manchu and Korean officials
surveyed the area and negotiated a border agreement. To mark the agreement, they
built a monument describing the boundary at a watershed, near the south of the
crater lake at the mountain peak. The interpretation of the inscription caused a
territorial dispute from the late 19th century to the early 20th century, and is
still disputed by academics today. The
1909 Gando Convention
between China and Japan (Japan was responsible for Korea's foreign affairs at
the time, according to the Eulsa Treaty, though this treaty was later declared
null and void by Korea) recognized the area north and east as Chinese territory.
The border was further clarified in 1962, when China and North Korea negotiated
a border treaty on the mountain border in response to minor disputes. The two
countries agreed to share the mountain and the lake at the peak, with Korea
controlling approximately 54.5%
and
gaining approximately 230 km² in the treaty.
Recent
disputes
Some
South Korean groups argue that recent activities conducted on the Chinese side
of the border, such as economic development, cultural festivals, infrastructure
development, promotion of the tourism industry, attempts at registration as a
World Heritage Site, and bids for a Winter Olympic Games, are an attempt to
claim the mountain as Chinese territory. These groups object to China's use of
Changbai Mountain, which has been used since Liao Dynasty and the earlier Jin
Dynasty (1115-1234). However, in more pre-modern eras this mountain was known
and referred to as BaiTou Mountain (the Chinese literation of "Baekdu Mountain")
by the Chinese residents of the mountain themselves, some even claim that
Changbai mountain seems to be a more recent (mere decades ago) renaming of
Baekdu (BaiTou) Mountain, even though Changbai is found and used in Qing dynasty
records. Some groups also regard the entire mountain as Korean territory that
was given away by North Korea in the Korean War. Both European maps and Chinese
maps dating before the annexation of Baekdu Mountain and Gando show these areas
to be under Korean Joseon Dynasty control.
During
the 2007 Asian Winter Games, which were held in Changchun, China, a group of
South Korean athletes held up signs during the award ceremony which stated
"Mount Baekdu is our territory". Chinese sports officials delivered a letter of
protest on the grounds that political activities violated the spirit of the
Olympics and were banned in the charter of the International Olympic Committee
and the Olympic Council of Asia. The head of the Korea Olympic Committee
responded by stating that the incident was accidental and held no political
meaning. South Korea has attempted to avoid having this issue become a source of
friction between South Korea and China. The athletes' gesture did not become as
big an issue as Dokdo-Takeshima
(Liancourt Rocks) and the
East Sea of Korea (the
Sea of Japan) naming dispute. The 2007 official National Atlas of Korea clearly
shows the boundary as per the 1962 agreement, roughly splitting the mountain and
the caldera lake. Nevertheless, there will remain Korean citizens who will
continue to claim that the mountain should be returned to Korean
dominion.
Sightseeing
Foreign
visitors, mostly South Koreans, usually climb the mountain from the Chinese
side, although Baekdu Mountain is a common tourist destination for the few
foreign tourists in North Korea.
There
are a number of monuments on the North Korean side of the mountain. Baekdu Spa
is a natural spring and is used for bottled water. Pegae
Hill
is a famous camp site of the Korean People’s Revolutionary Army during their
struggle against Japanese colonial rule. There are also a number of secret camps
which are now open to the public. There are several waterfalls, including the
Hyongje
Falls which
splits into two separate falls about a third from the top.
In 2007, UNESCO named Korea's volcanic island Jejudo and its lava tubes a natural property of outstanding beauty which bears testimony to the history of our planet.
Mt. Hallasan in Jejudo Jeju Volcanic Island and Lava Tubes together comprise three sites that make up 18,846 ha. They are Geomunoreum, regarded as the finest lava tube cave system anywhere, with its multicolored carbonate ceilings and floors and dark-colored lava walls; the dramatic fortress-like Seongsan Ilchulbong crater rising out of the ocean; and Hallasan with its waterfalls, multi-shaped rock formations and small crater lake. These sites of outstanding aesthetic beauty also bear testimony to the history of the planet, its features and the processes which formed our world.
