Gwongeumseong Fortress (설악산 권금성)
Gwongeumseong Fortress is the site of a castle ruins located on Seoraksan Mountain, and it is also known as Onggeumsan Mountain Castle, or Toto Castle. It is located on the steep Dolsan Mountain of Seoraksan Sogongwon area. It is believed to have been built by the 23rd King of the Goryeo Period (918-1392), Gojong (r. 1213-1259). It is also called Gwon-Kim Castle, as there is a legend that two generals named Gwon and Kim, built the castle to avoid war.
At the left side of Sogongwon, past the Biryonggyo Bridge over the ravine, there is a path which leads to Gwongeumseong Castle, but it takes over an hour of travel through a steep, rocky path (2.5km), so cable car is used. The cable car was installed by Dr. Gi-Sup Lee in 1971 and is still used by many tourists. It runs from 07:00 to 18:00 or 18:30 p.m., departing every 7 minutes, and you can only purchase round-trip tickets at the ticket counter for that day.
