CNN
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At the top of the Korean Peninsula, the past military checkpoints and bumpy dirt roads of one of the world’s most secret countries, rise up deep crater lakes immersed in volcanoes and symbolism.
Mount Paektu, an active Stratovolcano that spans the North-China border, is the highest peak on the South Korean Peninsula and is at the heart of North Korean foundation mythology.
The North Korean side of the mountain was recently designated as a UNESCO global geopark and marked the first natural location of North Korea on the list.
The Executive Committee of the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) recognized the site of “impressive natural and cultural heritage” that includes volcanic eruptions and geological features.
However, to understand the importance, you need to stand on the edge of Lake Chong. This is a caldera about 7,200 feet above sea level and was formed by a massive eruption more than 1,000 years ago, allowing you to feel the wind slashing across your face.
I did exactly that in June 2017 as one of the few Western journalists reaching the Paektu summit from the North Korean side. Authorized and closely monitored by Pyongyang, the trip provided unusual access.
Map of Mount Paektu on the border between North Korea and China
According to North Korean legend, the mountain was the birthplace of Dangan, the mythological founder of the first Korean kingdom.
North Korea’s founder and grandfather of UN Kim Jong Kim, is said to have used the mountain as a hideaway when fighting Japan’s occupation for independence in the 1940s. State media often refer to the eldest son regarding the mountain, using titles such as “The Legendary Hero of Paektu.”
North Korea claims that Kim Jong-un’s late leader and father, Kim Jong-Il, was born near the Paektu summit. The guide showed me a wooden cabin. There, the snow melted, the sun broke, the flowers bloomed, and new stars appeared in the sky to mark his birth.
There is no historical evidence for this, and while many scholars believe Kim was likely born in Russia, the story is told across North Korea without hints of doubt. Paektu is not just a mountain, it is the altar of the nation.
This mountain is widely used by the Kim dynasty to introduce the tradition and deification of the family themselves. Its peak is decorated with the national coat of arms of the country, and its name has been borrowed to everything from rockets to power plants and sometimes to the country itself.
North Korean society praises racial purity and state propaganda, while the Kim family praises the “Paektu Bloodline.”
“This is the soul of the Korean revolution,” the guide told me. The North Korean pilgrims were standing quietly nearby, and they shed tears, believing they were on sacred ground.
UN Kim Jong visited the sacred mountains, usually before a massive shake-up, such as his uncle in 2013 and the 2016 nuclear test.
In 2018, he brought then-Korea President Moon Jae-in to the summit in a rare moment of unification. Moon stood on top of Kim holding Kim’s hand with his wife, so the visit was called a dream come true.
“I thought I might have a chance (come here), but my wish came true,” Moon said. For Koreans on both sides of the border, peaking has long been a rite of passage, but access to most South Korea’s lives has been closed.
In 2019, North Korean state media released a photo of Kim riding a white horse on a sacred mountain on at least two separate occasions amidst tensions on the peninsula.
In its recognition, the UNESCO Executive Committee cited the volcanic heritage of Paektu, the valleys shaped by glacial erosion, and rocky plains as part of its global importance.
It also noted that the “millennial eruption” that occurred on Mount Paektu more than 1,000 years ago in 946 AD was one of the most powerful volcanic eruptions in recorded history.
Currently, there are over 200 earthworms in 49 countries, according to the organization. UNESCO’s Global Geoparks are recognized as “a single unified geographical area in which sites and landscapes of international geological significance are managed by the overall concepts of conservation, education and sustainable development.”
Last year, the UNESCO committee designated the Chinese side of the mountain as a global geopark under the Chinese name Changbaishan.
North Korea called for UNESCO geopark designation in 2019, a year ago for China, but on-site inspections of North Korean sites were delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
With the designation, Pyongyang may now attempt to rebrand Peektu as a geotourism destination. It promotes its natural wonders, just like Korean mythology.
In 2017, the trip to Paektu passed through a remote farming village where children had escaped from our cameras. In Samyon, the nearest town, Kim Il’s monuments dot the landscape, with scars from the battle with Japanese occupying people.
Life near Paektu is rural and sparse. But the people we met spoke with quiet pride about their history, their homes, and their belief that they live in places that matter.
This UNESCO recognition means Mount Paektu is now recognized not only as a national symbol, but as a site of global geological values. It is unclear whether that will lead to more involvement or whether it will remain another tool for Pyongyang’s story.
For now, the mountains are standing, their slopes covered in clouds, and the story has been passed over generations. And if you go out to the summit, stare at Chung Lake and find yourself breathing in the frigid air, you may understand why many North and South believe that they have Korean souls.
