A Hike Across Jang San

Jang San (장산) is a mountain located to the east of Busan.  It is possible to hike across the mountain, from BanSong dong (반송동) to the Jang San sector of HaeUnDae gu (해운대구).

BanSong dong (반송동), in north-east Busan.

The trail from 반송동 towards the peak of 장산.

The forest on 장산.

The trail from 반송동 towards the peak of 장산.

Water droplets on a spider's web, on 장산.

Approaching the peak of the mountain, it is possible to see the entire valley that lies to the north of the mountain.  But on a humid summer day, the view can be obstructed by clouds or fog.

Looking towards 반송동, approaching the peak of 장산.

The valley to the north of 장산.

Surprisingly, on the highest part of 장산 lie a number of rather grim reminders of one of the darkest historical periods of the Korean peninsula, namely the Korean war.

A sign, warning of the presence of land mines on 장산.

The land mines lie beyond a razor-wire fence.

The peak of 장산 is fenced-off, and inaccessible to the public.

It seems that 장산 was an important military position during the Korean war, perhaps a defensive position or a surveillance point in the Busan perimeter.  Even today, the peak of the mountain is a restricted military zone, and no civilians can access it. 

This was the first time that I saw first-hand such obvious remnants of the Korean war.  And though the signs clearly indicated that the mines were on the other side of a fence, I was nervous passing so near to this area, as I wondered if heavy rainfall could move landmines out of the region that was fenced-off.


Having climbed as high as possible on 장산, I reached the south face of the mountain.  From there, the view of Busan and the Pacific Ocean is spectacular.  But on a humid day, clouds and mist can significantly obstruct the view.

광안리, as seen from 장산.

해운대구, as seen from 장산.

Thick clouds circling the peak of 장산.

Another view of 광안리, from a lower point on the mountain.

A closer look at the 광안대교.

The 달맞이 고개, as seen from 장산.

I plan on returning to 장산 on a less humid day, as it offers some of the best views of the city of Busan.  Searching the web, I found the web-site of photographer CK (씨케이) who took pictures of the city from 장산 at night and at sunset.  His shots are amazing!

Un moment de repli dans la pluie sur le mont Baekyang

La journée d'aujourd'hui a été pluvieuse à Busan.

À partir du mont Baekyang, la ville était visible au travers de l'air humide.

Busan, vue à partir du mont Baekyang par une journée pluvieuse.

De lourds nuages au-dessus de Busan, vus à partir du mont Baekyang.

Une section du port de Busan, par une journée pluvieuse.

Dans sa section la moins élevée, l'humidité donnait un air mystérieux à la montagne.

En s'approchant des nuages, sur le mont Baekyang.

La forêt sur le mont Baekyang, par une journée pluvieuse.

Puis soudainement, il était impossible de voir la ville au bas de la montagne puisqu'elle était cachée par les nuages.  Mais les bruits de la circulation automobile demeuraient audible la plupart du temps.  Sauf que parfois, si on se retrouvait derrière une colline ou dans un boisé assez dense, les bruits de la ville disparaîssaient.  Ces brefs moments d'isolement étaient paisibles et réconfortants.

À la cime de la montagne, les nuages étaient très denses et il pleuvait.

La cime du mont Baekyang, par une journée pluvieuse.

Le chemin vers la cime de la montagne, elle-même cachée dans les nuages.

Une petite forêt ennuagée, près de la cime du mont Baekyang.

De petits arbres enveloppés par les nuages, près de la cime du mont Baekyang.

En redescendant, on constatait que les nuages s'étaient alourdis durant notre escalade.  Il fallait maintenant descendre plus bas pour en ressortir.  Parfois, il était possible de les voir s'amonceler sur les flancs de la montagne.

Des nuages défilant vers le haut le long d'un des flancs du mont Baekyang.

Une vue du flanc de la montagne à travers les nuages.

Alors qu'on arrivait au bas de la montagne, le soleil baignait de quelques derniers rayons les nuages au-dessus d'elle.

Une dernière caresse de rayons solaires...

Venus Passes Between Earth And The Sun

Following the solar eclipse that occurred not long ago, another interesting astronomical event was visible from Busan this week.

Specifically, on Wednesday morning Busan time, the planet Venus passed in front of the sun.

I was fortunate to see this event projected on a viewing plate through a telescope that had been setup by a colleague.

An image of the sun projected through a telescope.  The small dark spot on the upper left is the shadow of Venus.

I feel particularly lucky to have witnessed the passage of Venus in front of the sun because such an event is not going to happen again until 2117...

Memorial Day in Korea

Today was a national holiday in Korea, known as "Memorial Day".

This was the 57th Memorial Day, a holiday held in honour of all South Koreans who died in defense of the nation during the Korean War, or during other periods.  To mark Memorial Day, remembrance ceremonies were held at a number of locations throughout the country.

Sadly, the remains of many war dead are simply missing in Korea, as many fallen soldiers were never buried in marked graves.  Every once in a while, the remains of soldiers are found.  In September of 2010, the remains of a fallen soldier were returned to his family after they were discovered on a mountain in the PyeongChang region of South Korea.  (PyeongChang is the location of the upcoming 2018 winter Olympic games, which will be held in South Korea.)  According to the article reporting on this event, the remains of over 5000 fallen Korean soldiers have been discovered since 2002 alone.  And the government has returned some of these soldiers directly to their families, in what appears to be a break with the practice of burying fallen soldiers in military cemateries. 

Not long before this year's Memorial Day, the remains of fallen South Korean soldiers were returned home for the first time from North Korea.  But it was the US government, not the North Korean government, that returned these soldiers to South Korea.  Until recently, the United States government had been working to recover the remains of fallen US soldiers in North Korea.  The remains of South Korean soldiers were discovered in North Korea along with those of fallen US soldiers by the United States government, who then returned the South Korean soldiers home.  According to one article in which this news was reported, there could be as many as 40,000 South Korean soldiers lying in unmarked graves in North Korea.