Hallasan is a shield volcano that makes up most of Jeju Island, and at 1,947 metres its summit is the highest point in South Korea. The saying on the island is that Jeju is Hallasan and Hallasan is Jeju, which is close to literally true: the mountain can be seen from everywhere on the island, though the peak is often in cloud.
A shield volcano is built by fluid lava running a long way before it sets, so instead of a steep cone you get a broad, gently sloping dome. That is why the mountain forms the bulk of an island rather than sitting on one.
It is counted among the three main mountains of South Korea alongside Jirisan and Seoraksan, the area around it is Hallasan National Park, and the Hallasan Natural Reserve was designated South Korean Natural Monument number 182 on 12 October 1966.
The naming history is unusually crowded. In English it appears as Hanla Mountain and Mount Halla, and older sources call it Mount Auckland. In Korean it has been Buak, Wonsan, Jinsan, Seonsan, Dumuak, Burasan, Yeongjusan and Hyeolmangbong. It is written in Hangul as though it were Hanrasan but pronounced Hallasan.
The soil is volcanic, and the mountain is the surface expression of the same system that produced the lava tubes below it, which is why Jeju's World Heritage listing takes in the summit and the caves together.
Several trails climb it, and only some reach the crater rim. Weather on the summit changes fast and turns walkers back regularly.
South Korea
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