A part of Mount Bukak. (image: Cultural Heritage Administration)
SEOUL, Apr. 30 (Korea Bizwire) — The opening hours of the Bukak mountain trails bordering the backyard of the presidential house Cheong Wa Dae will be broadly extended starting next month, heritage authorities said Tuesday.
The entrance to Mount Bukak overlooking central Seoul was previously open from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. from March to October, but starting in May, the opening hours will be extended by two hours from 7:00 a.m., the Cultural Heritage Administration and the Korea Cultural Heritage Foundation said.
From May to August, the closing hours will be further pushed back to 7:00 p.m. from 6:00 p.m., allowing more people to explore the scenic walkways on the mountain, the authorities said.
The operation hours for the winter season between November and February have also been extended by one hour from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Along with the decisions, the trails’ closure every Monday has also been lifted to admit visitors every day.
The Bukak mountain trails had been off limits till 2007 after a group of some 30 North Korean spies used the route in their botched operation to infiltrate and launch an attack on Cheong Wa Dae in January 1968.
Bukak is one of the scenic mountains dotting the capital Seoul.
The summit of Bukak offers an open view of the bustling cityscape in central Seoul, as well as an old base for Vulcan automatic cannons, which were operated for 30 years in defense of Cheong Wa Dae.
Bukak is also the northern end of the network of pre-modern fortress walls encircling the core area of Seoul, built in the 14th century to defend what was then the capital Hanyang of the Joseon Kingdom.
(Yonhap)
