The (성판악) Seongpanak Trail is one of the most popular paths on Hallasan Mountain. Researchers say that popularity has led to environmental degradation that threatens hikers. Joseph Kim reports.



Report

90 percent of hikers on Hallasan mountain use the (성판악) Seongpanak trail.

[slug]
400,000 hikers use Seongpanak Trail yearly

Some 400,000 hikers take the (성판악) Seongpanak course annually. Issues of environmental damage has been brought up for years.

Researchers investigating the Hallasan Natural Reserve have diagnosed that some parts of the trail have eroded and deformed,

[slug]
Researchers say heavy use has damaged Seongpanak Trail

because of the overflow of hikers.

The trail has been trampled for decades and rainwater runs nearby. Bedrock and roots are exposed and the slopes are collapsing.

[slug]
‘Severe damage between elevations of 1,500 and 1,700 meters’

Parts of the trail at the altitude markers between 1,500 and 1,700 meters are severely damaged.

INTERVIEW
Im Jae-su / Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources
Most parts of the trail are in good shape, but some parts need immediate action for safety.
<인터뷰:임재수 한국지질자연구원 책임연구원>
"대부분의 경우 상당히 좋은 상태가 유지되고 있었지만 일부 구간에 한해서는 당장 조치가 필요한 영역또한 조사 결과로 볼 수 있었습니다."

(동릉) Dongreung, 200 meters away from the (백록담) Baeknokdam crater, is at greater risk of collapse.

Areas in danger of rockslides are steep slopes and lie just 40 meters from the (성판악) Seongpanak trail. That threatens the safety of hikers.

INTERVIEW
Im Jae-su / Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources
We believe that the dangerous conditions demand urgent action. Basalt near the trail can fall at any time.
<인터뷰:임재수 한국지질자원연구원 책임연구원>
"등산로 윗쪽에 용암판 현무암 암석들이 떨어질 수 있는 위험요소가 있으니까 아무래도 언제 떨어질지 모르지만 위험요소가 감지됐기 때문에 시급하게 조치가 필요하지 않을까 생각하고 있습니다."

The geological investigation into the trail is the first time ever.

Therefore, results of the investigation are considered valuable for the proper maintenance and management of the hiking trails on Hallasan mountain.

[Reporter] Joseph Kim
[Camera] Park Byeong-joon

The researchers will launch an investigation into the (남벽) Nambyeok Summit Trail on the mountain beginning March 2018. The trail has been in controversy after a part of the Nambyeok trail collapsed in 1994. It has been off limits since then.

Joseph Kim, KCTV