Gonaebong, a Low Oreum in Gonaeri, Aewol, Where Beacon Fires Were Once Lit

What kind of oreum is Gonaebong

Gonaebong is an oreum (a volcanic cone) in Gonaeri, Aewol-eup, Jeju-si. The address is San 3-1, Gonaeri, Aewol-eup, Jeju-si, Jeju-do (제주특별자치도 제주시 애월읍 고내리 산 3-1). Driving along the Aewol coastal road, you can see a gently rising landform behind the village of Gonaeri, and that is this oreum.

It goes by more than one name. It is also called Gonaeoreum, Gonioreum, or Mangoreum. Even when different names turn up on maps, on information boards, or in what people say, they all point to the same place.

How high is it

The height is 135m. It is not among the taller oreum on Jeju, so the feeling is less like climbing a mountain and more like walking up a hill behind the village.

But being low does not mean the landform is simple. Rather than a single peak rising up, it takes the form of several peaks joined together, so its outline looks different depending on which side you view it from.

Five peaks

This oreum is made up of five peaks: Mangoreum, Bangaeoreum, Jinoreum, Neobunoreum and Sangdwitoreum. What stands out is that each one has its own name.

The fact that the names are divided peak by peak also means the villagers did not see this landform only as a single mass. Mangoreum, the alternative name mentioned earlier, overlaps with one of these five names. The word for the whole oreum and the word for one peak are the same.

An oreum with several names

The name Gonaeoreum takes the name of the village where the oreum sits just as it is. Gonioreum is used alongside it as a variant close to it in sound. So one landform keeps a name that came from the village and a name that came from its use, side by side.

Whether a map, an information board, or someone giving directions says Gonaeoreum, Gonioreum or Mangoreum, the place being pointed to is the same. Set alongside the lot number San 3-1 in Gonaeri, it is easy to match up the location even when the writing differs.

A site where beacon fires were lit

Gonaebong is a place where beacon fires were once lit. Beacon fires were a way of sending news far away by raising fire and smoke at a high point, and its use for that purpose means the view from this oreum opened widely in all directions.

A height of 135m may feel low, but behind a coastal village close to the sea, that much height is enough to secure a view. The name Mangoreum also seems not unrelated to this use. Keeping this background in mind before climbing makes the scenery seen from the summit read a little differently.

How to go up

Up to the two-thirds point of the climbing route the road is paved with cement, so cars can drive up. There is a walking route as well, and there is also the option of using the paved stretch to drive up to the midway point.

The remaining stretch is not paved, so whichever you choose, a section on foot is left. Comfortable shoes are the safe choice. Conditions for vehicle access can change with the season or the situation on site, so it is good to check once before setting out.

What is at the summit

There is an observation deck and exercise facilities at the summit. Having an observation deck means the spot has been arranged so that you can stay there and look around.

The exercise facilities placed alongside it also show the character of this oreum. It is not only for people coming from far away; it is also a space that people living near Gonaeri go up and down as part of daily life. Rather than a tourist site, it fits better to call it an oreum attached to the village.

After the paved road ends

The observation deck and the exercise facilities are both at the summit. The paving ends at the two-thirds point, so the remaining stretch is walked. Whether you walk up from the bottom or drive up to the midway point, the last stretch gathers everyone into the same steps.

The history of the site as a place for beacon fires and the observation deck now standing at the summit run along the same grain. On a spot chosen for looking far out, today there stands a facility for looking at the scenery. It is a short illustration of how the use of one place has changed over time.

Paths leading to Gonaeri and the Aewol coast

Gonaeri, where Gonaebong sits, is one of the villages strung along the Aewol coast. Coming down from the oreum and heading toward the sea, the port and the coastal road follow on. The story of the port in the same Gonaeri is written separately in Gonae Port, a small port in Aewol where fishing boats come and go.

Going a little further east along the coast, you reach the sea off Gamundong in Hagwi 2-ri. Mipojip Jeju Aewol is at 80 Gamundong-gil, Aewol-eup, Jeju-si, Jeju-do. If you want to judge whether it is a place worth stopping by during a day spent moving between the oreum and the sea, see the menu and directions.

If you are also looking at other oreum in Aewol

Aewol has several oreum with different characters. If you want to see the wide silver grass fields of the mid-mountain area, Saebyeoloreum is one; if you are curious about a low oreum with a pond inside its crater, Susanbong is close by.

If a walk along the sea appeals more, there is also From the Handam Coastal Walk to Gwakji Gwamul Beach. Stories from around Aewol keep being collected in the magazine.