Hikers enjoy views from the summit of Mount Gwanak in Seoul, in this undated file photo. gettyimagesbank
Mount Gwanak, a granite peak that forms the southern ridgeline of Seoul, has quietly watched over the city for centuries. This spring, it is transforming into something else entirely: a viral “energy hotspot” where hikers line up for over an hour at the summit marker, hoping to soak up good fortune along with the skyline views.
On recent weekends, the narrow path to Yeonjudae, the clifftop hermitage near the 632-meter summit, has turned into a human queue that can stretch more than 100 meters. Many in their 20s and 30s say they are not just there for the workout.
Posing for “proof shots,” visitors post captions that read like whispered prayers: “Let this year go well,” “Please let me get a job,” “Let me come back here with good news.”
Instagram posts show hikers flocking to the summit of Mount Gwanak in Seoul. Screenshot from Instagram
Among them are Lee and Park, Seoul residents who climbed Mount Gwanak with their friends recently.
“In the past I would have gone to a fortune teller, but now I’d rather hike, clear my head and ask the mountain for help,” said Lee, a 31-year-old job seeker who wrote her employment wish in the caption of a summit selfie she posted over the weekend.
Park, a 24-year-old university student based in Seoul, visited the mountain peak last month before a job interview after seeing videos on Instagram. “It feels a bit like playing along with a trend, but when you finally stand up here and make a wish, it’s strangely comforting,” he said.
The Gwanak frenzy traces back to a January episode of tvN’s popular talk show “You Quiz on the Block,” in which a veteran fortune teller recommended the mountain as a place to “reset” luck, citing its strong fire energy in pungsu-jiri, a Korean geomantic concept equivalent to feng shui.
Since the episode aired, Google searches on Mount Gwanak have increased steadily, briefly hitting the maximum score of 100 on Google Trends and marking its highest level in at least five years.
Source: Korea Times News
