Bugaksan, the mountain behind South Korea's presidential compound that has been closed to the public since the 1968 raid by North Korean commandos known as the Kim Shin-jo incident, will be fully opened to the public after about 59 years. The phased opening of the mountain, which began under President Roh Moo-hyun and advanced under President Moon Jae-in, will be completed under President Lee Jae-myung.
The Presidential Security Service said on the 13th that it will fully open the last 1.32-kilometer stretch of unopened trail on the southwestern side of Bugaksan, toward Cheongun-dong, from 9 a.m. on the 17th. The newly opened section will be accessible 24 hours a day, as with the existing trails.
Bugaksan is one of the four inner mountains — Bugaksan, Namsan, Naksan and Inwangsan — that surround the Hanyang City Wall from the Joseon Dynasty, and holds both the history and natural landscape of the capital, Seoul. But after 31 North Korean armed commandos attempted to raid Cheong Wa Dae, the presidential compound, on Jan. 21, 1968, public access was tightly restricted for reasons of security and presidential protection.
Though located in the heart of downtown Seoul, the mountain remained off-limits until former President Roh Moo-hyun ordered the opening of the Seoul city wall in 2004, beginning a phased lifting of restrictions. In January 2006, Yoo Hong-june, then head of the Cultural Heritage Administration, announced a plan to develop Seoul as a historic city, centered on opening Bugaksan and creating a plaza around Gwanghwamun.
In April of that year, the area around Sukjeongmun gate was partially opened, and in April 2007, a 4.3-kilometer stretch of the Hanyang City Wall trail — running from Changuimun gate through Baegangmaru peak and Sukjeongmun to Waryong Park — was opened to the public. That opening, however, covered only the Hanyang City Wall trail, and areas adjacent to Cheong Wa Dae remained closed.
Public access to areas next to Cheong Wa Dae became possible only after former President Moon Jae-in pledged to return Bugaksan and Inwangsan to the public. A 2.2-kilometer northern trail opened in the first phase in 2020, followed by an additional 3.0-kilometer southeastern trail in the second phase in April 2022. With the last unopened southwestern section now opening, the phased opening of Bugaksan's trails is complete.
The policy of keeping Bugaksan open was maintained even after the presidential office returned to Cheong Wa Dae late last year. According to the Korea Heritage Service and the Korea Cultural Heritage Foundation, 66,720 people visited Bugaksan in April and May this year, up 62.6% from 41,035 in the same period of 2023, when Cheong Wa Dae was open to the public. Information centers in six zones, including Changuimun, Cheongundae and Sukjeongmun, have also been operating again since March.
The Presidential Security Service has been working with related agencies since July last year to repair the trail and put security measures in place for the opening of the final section. The Korea Heritage Service and Jongno District Office supported trail environment improvements and trail construction, respectively. A safety management system was also set up, including patrols of trail information centers and the operation of closed-circuit television cameras. On the 7th, the agency conducted a joint firefighting drill in the section set to open, together with the Jongno Fire Station, the Korea Forest Service, Jongno District Office and Jongno Police Station. The security service said the trail was built mainly along a patrol route previously used by the military, in a way that minimizes damage to the natural environment.
The agency said the opening reflects its principle of "open and low-profile security" that respects the daily lives and convenience of the public. "We are now able to return Bugaksan fully to the people," Presidential Security Service chief Hwang In-kwon said. "We will remake ourselves as a security agency that respects the public's daily lives and spaces and breathes together with them."