Seoraksan National park was designated the 5th national park in Korea in 1970 and chosen as a nature preservation area on November 5, 1965 Also, internationally recognized for its rare species, Seoraksan is the area in Korea to have been designated as a Biosphere Preservation District by UNESCO in 1982, and in IUCN recognized its rich natural resources and labeled it category Ⅱ(National Park).
The total area of Seoraksan National park is 398.24 Km2 and it is divided among the areas of Inge-gun, Goseong-gun, Yangyang-gun, and Sokcho-si, Naeseorak (Inner) is in Inje, Naeseorak (South) is the area from Hangyerteong (Ridge) to Osaek, and Oeseorak (Outer) lies in the eastern area across Sokcho-si, Yangyang-gun, and Goseong-gun. Including its main peak, Daecheongbong, Seoraksan has a total of 30 imposing peaks spread across its territory such as Hwachaebong, Hangyeryeong, and Madeungryeong.
Over 2,000 animal species live in Seoraksan, including the Korea goral, Musk deer, and Other. There are also more than 1,400 rare plant species, such as the Edelweiss, here as well.
Conservation
Good governance
Community benefits
I am very delighted that three Korea national parks including Odaesan, Seoraksan, and Jirisan have been relisted in the IUCN Green List of Protected and Conserved Areas (IUCN Green List). In the decision of CBD COP 13(CBD COP XIII/2), the IUCN Green List was promoted as a voluntary standard for protected area management effectiveness. KNPS has participated in the IUCN Green List since 2012 and accumulated our experiences in listing Korea national parks to the IUCN Green List. Recently, there has been a lot of interest from Asian region about the IUCN Green List and KNPS is ready to share our experiences and knowledge with global communities. Managing protected areas effectively will be important in the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework. I believe that the IUCN Green List will play a crucial role in post-2020 period. KNPS will strengthen collaboration with IUCN in encouraging the effective management of protected areas through IUCN Green List.
Seoraksan National Park was added to the Green LIst during the Pilot Phase in 2014.
With its highest point, Daecheongbong Peak, located 1,708 m above ground, Seoraksan Mountain is one of the most beautiful mountains in Korea, boasting a variety of colorful flowers in spring, refreshing clear water streams in summer, vibrant autumn foliages in fall, and a scenic snow-covered landscape in winter. With the mountain changing in color according to each season, a visit to Seoraksan Mountain guarantees a picturesque landscape any time of the year. Hangyeryeong and Misiryryeong serve as a boundary line dividing Oeseorak (Outer Seorak), located towards the East Sea, and Naeseorak (Inner Seorak).
The Oeseorak is a home to gigantic waterfalls such as Biryong Falls, Oryeon Falls, and Towangseong Falls as well as notable rock formations such as Ulsanbawi Rock and Geumgang Cave. Convenient facilities are gathered around Seorak-dong, making the area one of the busiest region within Seoraksan National Park.
Noteworthy hiking courses include Biseondae-Madeungryeong course and Biseondae-Cheonbuldong-Daecheonbong Peak course.
Outcome of EAGL Vote on Site
Consensus
EAGL Summary
Seoraksan National Park was designated as a national park in 1975 and has been actively managed to maintain its ecological integrity. In particular, the park is located at the core of the Baekdudaegan Ecological Corridor, a key ecological corridor of Korea. The reduction of commercial facilities and environment-friendly readjustment, which were created to improve mass tourist attractions in the past, are also actively underway. Recently, the park has been actively carrying out projects to restore damaged areas such as ecological restoration by removing small commercial facilities that have been used for a long time, and connecting disconnected ecological corridor. This park has already been certified that systematic management by IUCN GL in 2014. Currently, more than 211 employees are actively managing this areas to strengthen their ecological functions. The Park Office uploaded more than 100 reports and documents for GL. Through the review of the data, on-site interviews and conversations with stakeholders, we have confirmed that Seoraksan National Park meets all 50 detailed criteria for GL. Many of land in this park is owned by Buddhist temples, a traditional religion. The temple is a religious sacred located in this area from 1,400 years ago and is a very important stakeholder for park management. With its unique protected area system, its relationship with temples is one of the key governance of sustainable management. There was frequent friction between religious activities and park protection activities in the early days of the designation of national parks, but the perception of them as partners in friendly relations is gradually improving. Through interviews with monks and stakeholders, they have confirmed that we are solving problems in the park through dialogue in case of conflict. However, development pressure around the park is increasing due to the recent economic slowdown in the region and the decrease in tourism revenue. So requires active management and attention so that the ecosystem can be maintained intact.
Reviewer Summary
Committee should in future submit site visit plans to reviewer much earlier. In this case site visit plan was not reviewed prior to site visits by reviewer however site visit plans were approved post visit.