Mt. Paektu

Mount Paektu is a volcanic mountain of about 2,750 m on the Chinese border and the starting point of the Great Paektu Range. The biosphere reserve extends southeast from the peak and became an international biosphere reserve in 1989^[1].

Animals named for the reserve include the Korean tiger, deer and musk deer. Lake Chon holds the Chonji char, a fish that has drawn expert attention^[1].

Forests of larch, fir and birch cover the reserve. It also holds wild vegetables, medicinal herbs, aromatic plants and flowering plants, and wild flowers grow on the highlands^[1].

Mount Paektu is a volcano covered by a thick layer of pumice stone. Lake Chon, a large crater lake, sits at its summit and feeds local rivers, streams and waterfalls^[1].

The summit looks snow-capped all year^[1]. Conditions at this altitude near the Chinese border are cold and long-wintered.

Mount Paektu is the most sacred mountain of the Korean people and a symbol in Korean national tradition. The area also holds sites linked to twentieth-century revolutionary battles, which were given special protection in 1985^[1].

The area became a natural reserve in 1959, a special reserve of revolutionary battle sites in 1985, and an international biosphere reserve in 1989^[1].

The main attractions are the summit and Lake Chon, with Lake Samji set among the forests below^[1].

The nearest town in the row is Samjiyon, about 30 km away. Access to the reserve is controlled by the North Korean authorities.

The reserve has been protected since 1959 and has held biosphere reserve status since 1989^[1]. Its volcanic and montane forest ecosystem continues across the border in China's Changbaishan reserve.