'Spiritual Hotspot' Gwanaksan Faces Controversy Over Ramen Soup Puddle and 'Inconsiderate Hikers'

Became a Hotspot After a Famous Fortune Teller's TV Remark
Fines of 500,000 to 2 Million Won for Damaging Gwanaksan

A photo showing a puddle near the summit of Yeonjudae on Gwanaksan Mountain, which straddles Gwanak District in Seoul and Gwacheon and Anyang in Gyeonggi Province, filled with instant noodle soup and trash, has been released, sparking controversy.

On May 2, a post was uploaded to a social networking service (SNS) thread showing a photo of what appears to be one of several pits in the rocky section near the summit of Gwanaksan Mountain, filled with various food waste and disposable trash.

The poster, identified as A, wrote, "Those who dumped ramen soup and trash into Gamrocheon at the summit of Gwanaksan are truly the real trash." In the photo, the pit was stained red, seemingly from instant noodle soup, and there were floating items such as ice cream wrappers and tissues.

The photo quickly spread across several online communities, drawing public outrage from internet users. Comments included, "If you can't finish the soup, just add less seasoning and adjust the water," "Ever since media started saying Gwanaksan has good energy, the number of visitors has skyrocketed—this seems to be the result of people flocking to trends and hotspots," and "Since Gwanaksan became popular, local residents have suffered increasing inconvenience due to inconsiderate hikers."

Recently, Gwanaksan Mountain has seen a surge in visitors, especially among younger people, after a popular fortune teller said on a TV program that "when your luck is down, climbing Gwanaksan opens up good energy." On May 1, which was the first time Labor Day was observed as a public holiday, there were reportedly even lines of people waiting to take photos at the Yeonjudae summit.

Due to the sudden influx of crowds, Gwanaksan is now struggling with issues related to safety, sanitation, and hiking culture. Last month, the famous Madangbawi (Bongcheon-dong) rock on the first trail of Gwanaksan (Sadang Station to Yeonjudae) was vandalized with graffiti reading, "There is no luck from Gwanaksan for you, meh."

Meanwhile, Gwacheon City in Gyeonggi Province dispatched personnel to clean up the rock puddles near Yeonjudae at the summit of Gwanaksan on May 4. Since 2020, Gwanaksan Mountain has been designated and managed as both an urban nature park area and a neighborhood park.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.