Seoraksan Urges Removal of Posts Promoting Banned 1,275 Meter Cliff After Fatal Fall

More than 1,000 posts draw attention to a closed mountain perch

Seoraksan National Park in northeastern South Korea is asking hikers and influencers to delete photographs and videos of a banned cliff on a peak rising 1,275 meters, after a fatal fall and other injuries renewed concern about visitors leaving marked trails for dramatic pictures.

More than 1,000 Instagram posts used the location's hashtag by October 20, 2025. Many images show that visitors left authorized paths to reach the exposed outcrop along Gongnyong Ridge, a jagged stretch of mountain known for its sweeping views of cliffs and valleys.

The Seoraksan National Park office says the perch is inside a restricted area, with no legal trail, safety rails or anchors. Reaching an injured person there is difficult, adding danger for visitors and the teams sent to help them.

A man in his 60s went missing near the area in September and was later found dead. Two other visitors, a man in his 30s and a woman in her 60s, suffered falls in separate incidents in 2024 and needed hospital treatment.

Park officials are seeking to interrupt the cycle in which striking images encourage more people to attempt the same trip. Their response combines a request to remove social media content with plans for additional warning signs and patrols near popular approaches.

Entry is prohibited under South Korea's Natural Parks Act, and violators can face fines of up to 500,000 won, about $360. The closure serves two purposes: preventing accidents and protecting fragile mountain habitats. Photography itself is not the target. The concern is that images from a closed location can make a dangerous and unauthorized climb look like an ordinary part of a visit to Seoraksan.

Where the restricted cliff sits

Seoraksan stands in Gangwon Province on South Korea's east coast and is the country's third highest mountain. Its best known summit, Daecheongbong, reaches 1,708 meters. The feature at the center of the warning rises 1,275 meters and is not a named summit on official maps.

The rocky perch lies along Gongnyong Ridge, also called Dinosaur Ridge because of its serrated outline. Pale granite, shaped by wind, frost and erosion, forms a narrow landscape of ridges, steep drops and exposed viewpoints.

Some sections of Gongnyong Ridge are legal to traverse when open. Those routes are marked and equipped where needed. The spur leading to the banned cliff leaves the marked route and enters a conservation zone.

Park authorities close certain ridgelines and gullies to protect soil, rare plants and animals, and to limit rockfall. Entry gates and maps explain the restrictions, while rope lines and signboards mark conservation areas. The 1,275 meter spur falls within one of those restricted areas.

Why the final approach is dangerous

The cliff has no maintained access trail. Its final approach requires scrambling over blocks covered with lichen, a growth on the rock surface that can become slippery. The blocks can also crumble in wet weather.

Rain and frost can leave granite with a glassy surface. Loose gravel on a steep slab can act like ball bearings beneath a visitor's feet. Without rails or anchors, a slip on the exposed approach can become a serious fall.

Rescue teams must move slowly along the ridge, extending the time needed to reach someone and bring them to safety. The same difficult terrain that makes the location visually striking also complicates an emergency response.

Rangers describe the perch as deceptively close to the established route. A photograph may show a person apparently floating above a ravine, while leaving out the scramble, slick rock and route finding required to reach that position.

A fatality follows earlier injuries

The recent accidents give the park's warning an immediate human cost. The man in his 60s who disappeared near the area in September was later found dead. The two falls in 2024 involved visitors from different age groups, and both required hospital care.

The sequence leading to the park's appeal spans more than a year:

• 2024: A man in his 30s and a woman in her 60s fell in separate incidents and needed hospital treatment.
• September: A man in his 60s went missing near the area and was later found dead.
• October 20, 2025: More than 1,000 Instagram posts used the location's hashtag.
• By October 25, 2025: The park office was urging people to delete related posts and planning additional signs and patrols.

The park has not given a timetable for installing the additional warnings or increasing patrols. Staff intend to focus on entry points leading toward the ridge, where they can stop visitors before they leave the main path.

What the park is asking people to remove

The Seoraksan National Park office published a warning on its official Instagram account, identifying the summit as closed and asking people to remove photographs and videos of the location and its approach. Its message connected the hazards directly to the pursuit of attention online.

The 1,275 meter peak is a restricted area, not a place for chasing likes on social media. The rocks are slippery, and the steep slopes pose a high risk of falls and rock slides. We ask that all posts, including photos and videos related to the 1,275 meter summit, be deleted.

The request seeks to reduce encouragement for copycat visits and reinforce rules intended to protect both people and wildlife. Additional signs and patrols are also meant to remove any impression that the route is approved.

Visitors who have already been to the cliff are being urged not to return and to consider deleting or archiving posts showing the site or the approach. For photographs taken from legal ground nearby, removing a precise geotag can reduce attention directed toward the closed location.

How the access rules work

South Korea's Natural Parks Act governs access, camping and conservation in national parks. It allows park managers to designate restricted zones and impose administrative fines on people who enter them. An administrative fine is a financial penalty for breaking the access rules.

The maximum fine for entering the protected zone at Seoraksan is 500,000 won. Rangers use signs, seasonal closures and public outreach in their daily work, with police and rescue services supporting enforcement when an incident occurs.

Repeat or aggravated violations can draw closer scrutiny, particularly when a rescue puts responders at risk or when damage to protected plants or nesting sites is documented. Such outcomes are rare compared with the daily volume of visitors using legal routes. Prevention is the immediate aim of the current response.

Photographs and videos can also serve as evidence of unauthorized entry when they identify a person and confirm the location. The deletion request focuses primarily on reducing the attention that draws newcomers to the cliff. Removing captions and geotags that pinpoint the spot can also make it less tempting to reproduce the same picture.

How a photograph can hide the difficult parts

Mountain parks across South Korea have experienced rising foot traffic driven by social media in recent years. Most hikers remain on established routes, while a smaller share seeks places away from trails that look especially dramatic on camera.

Social media algorithms reward novelty and spectacle. Images of a cliff edge, a narrow ridge or a ledge without a rail can spread widely because they stand out in a crowded feed. Seoraksan's pristine looking perch and unusual view help explain its appeal.

Captions and geotags can make a difficult scramble appear to be a simple walk. A viewer may see the final pose without seeing the approach, wind, slippery stone or decisions needed to find a route. Warnings included in a caption are easy to skip.

A place that was once obscure can consequently attract more visitors than its exposed terrain can safely accommodate. At the 1,275 meter cliff, the park wants fewer images encouraging people to leave the marked route and more attention to the closure already in place.

What mountain content creators can change

Creators who photograph mountain landscapes can help by keeping their work within open, legal routes and avoiding posts made from closed areas. Precise geotags can also be withheld for sensitive locations.

Honest context matters. A post can explain that a visit depended on dry conditions and use of an authorized path, while directing attention to ranger guidance. Skill, footwear with suitable grip and sound judgment all affect a mountain visit.

For someone with an older post showing an illegal visit, deleting it or replacing it with a safety message can reduce the pressure on others to seek the same shot. The park's appeal asks creators to consider what their images encourage after publication, as well as what the images show.

Hikers can share the park's warning with friends planning a trip to Seoraksan. Reporting damaged signs to rangers is another practical step, helping keep the closure visible to the next group approaching the area.

Legal routes still offer dramatic views

Daecheongbong, Seoraksan's main summit at 1,708 meters, remains one of the park's established mountain destinations. The ascent is a long, demanding outing. The route from Osaek is steep and requires an early start, but it is marked, maintained and staffed. Clear mornings can bring spectacular sunrise views.

Valley paths around well known viewpoints offer closer views of granite walls and autumn colors. Beginners can choose shorter trails from the main entrance before attempting a full ridge route.

Open sections of Gongnyong Ridge also provide legal access to its striking landscape. Those traverses are demanding, require fitness and caution, and sometimes involve fixed chains. Permission to use a marked section depends on whether it is open, so checking seasonal closures and weather advisories remains part of planning.

Visitors should consult the Korea National Park Service website or a visitor center for current closures, shelter status and trail conditions. An appealing photograph from another person's trip cannot supply those details for the day of a new visit.

Preparing for an authorized mountain trip

Hikers heading onto Seoraksan's open routes should carry layers for wind and cold near the summit. Shoes with good grip help on wet slabs, gloves can be useful on demanding sections, and trekking poles can assist on descents.

Signs at the gate and routes marked on official maps should guide the trip. Staying on those paths protects visitors from unauthorized approaches while keeping fragile areas undisturbed. Packing out all rubbish and keeping noise down near wildlife are also part of responsible park use.

Changing weather or terrain beyond a visitor's ability is a reason to turn back. A safe retreat is part of mountain judgment, especially where wet rock, exposure and difficult rescue access can quickly increase the consequences of a mistake.

The park's message is concrete: do not return to the banned cliff, reduce the online directions drawing others toward it, and use the mountain's authorized routes. Its planned patrols and signs are intended to make that boundary clearer before another visitor leaves the main trail.

At a Glance

• Seoraksan National Park is asking people to delete posts showing a restricted cliff on a peak rising 1,275 meters along Gongnyong Ridge.
• More than 1,000 Instagram posts used the location's hashtag by October 20, 2025.
• A man in his 60s went missing near the area in September and was later found dead. Two other visitors were injured in separate falls in 2024.
• The closed spur has no maintained trail, safety rails or anchors, and rescue access is difficult.
• Entry is prohibited under the Natural Parks Act, with fines of up to 500,000 won, about $360.
• The park plans additional warning signs and patrols near approaches to the restricted area.
• Legal alternatives include marked routes to Daecheongbong and sections of Gongnyong Ridge when open.
• Visitors should check closures and weather, stay on marked paths, and avoid posts or precise geotags that encourage trips into the closed zone.