Cheonggyesan (Seongnam)

 mountain, green area

Cheonggyesan, or Cheonggye Mountain, extends over the district of Seocho-gu in Seoul, the national capital, and the cities of Gwacheon, Uiwang, and Seongnam in the province of Gyeonggi-do with an elevation of 620 m /2,034 ft.

Cheonggyesan Mountain surrounds Seoul Grand Park, Seoulland and National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Gwacheon. The mountain boarders the area of Yangjae-dong, Seoul and Gwacheon-si, Seongnam-si, and Uiwang-si, Gyeonggi-do. The mountain is nestled at the foot of Gwanaksan Mountain, south of downtown Gwacheon. Dense forests, neat valleys, parks, and temples are available in the mountain, making it a suitable climbing course for families. Also, varied walking courses are set up. Guksabong (peak) at 538m and another peak at 545m are connected through a mountain path.

It is said that a faithful person, Joyun in the late Goryeo period entered Cheonggyesan Mountain from Songdo after the demolition of Goryeo by Yi Seong-gye who was the first King of the Joseon Dynasty. Also, it was referred to as “Cheongryongsan” because the area is regarded as the place where a blue dragon, Cheongryong, ascended to heaven. Based on the principles of geomancy, Gwaksan (mountain) and Cheonggyesan (mountain) are called “Baekho” (White Tiger) and “Cheongryong,” respectively.