KOREA FOUNDATION

Reaching the Summit of Mt. Halla after Two Thwarted Attempts

From the time that I first settled on Jeju Island as a KF employee, I had only one dream, and that was none other than reaching the summit of Mt. Halla. I had been harboring this ambitious dream since early last year when I first spotted a breathtaking view of snow-covered Mt. Halla on an entertainment show on TV. My day-to-day routine in Jeju wasn’t exactly extraordinary, but I was able to stay energized thanks to this dream.

However, the heavens seemed reluctant to let me realize my dream. I lost two chances to climb the mountain due to heavy snowfall in December and a downpour in January. On February 23, as winter was nearing its end, I made my third attempt. It rained threateningly from dawn, but this did not drench my determination. My colleagues and I were even hit by an intense snowstorm as we neared the mountaintop. Despite the stress of nearly losing our way thanks to said storm, we were able to overcome it all through our united efforts. After nine hours of tough hiking, beginning at six in the morning, we finally set foot on the summit of Mt. Halla and were then able to descend safely.

In the taxi on the way home, I remembered a quote from Edmund Hillary, one of the first people confirmed to have climbed Mt. Everest, the highest mountain in the world: “It is not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves.” To keep me motivated, I am now searching for air tickets to Nepal. If life on Jeju feels a little dull, why not challenge yourself to climbing Mt. Halla through heavy snow?

Park Woojin
Policy Research Grant Department

Park WoojinMt. Hallareaching the summit