The last closed section of Mount Bugaksan in Seoul, off-limits to the public for 59 years, will open fully on Oct. 17.
The Presidential Security Service said in a press release on the 13th that it will open the closed section of Bugaksan in full as of 9 a.m. on the 17th. The newly accessible stretch runs 1.32 kilometers along the mountain's southwestern side, toward Cheongun-dong. A 2.2-kilometer trail on the northern side opened in 2020 as the first phase, followed by a 3.0-kilometer section on the southeastern side in 2022.
The agency said it has worked with related organizations since July last year on building and improving trails and putting security measures in place. The Korea Heritage Service and Jongno District Office supported the work, handling trail conditions and trail construction, respectively.
The new section will be open 24 hours a day, as existing trails are. The agency plans to run safety patrols from trail information centers and operate closed-circuit cameras, along with security and guard systems, so that hikers can use the trails safely and without inconvenience. On the 7th, it held a joint firefighting drill with the Jongno Fire Station, the Korea Forest Service, the Jongno District Office and the Jongno Police Station to prepare for wildfires in the section set to open.
The agency said the full opening puts into practice its principle of "open, low-profile security." Hwang In-kwon, head of the Presidential Security Service, said the third-phase opening makes it possible to return Bugaksan entirely to the public. "We will continue to actively apply the principle of open, low-profile security in the field, respecting the daily lives and spaces of the public, and remake ourselves as a security agency that breathes alongside them," Hwang said.