Mt. Halla - and human life in the present

I'd like to introduce to you an interesting fact about the name "Halla." According to Kwang-Joong Chung et al (2006), the name "Halla" or "Halla-san" ("san" means mountain in Korean) has been used as shop names or proper names a lot of times. For example, the biggest local festival in Jeju island was named "Halla Cultural Festival" for 36 years. "Halla" is used for naming local schools. In addition, hospitals, local newspapers, book stores, restaurants, hotels, construction companies, or gyms were all named with "Halla." This wide use of name "Halla" indicates that the word is now used not only as a name of the mountain but also as a symbolic word for Jeju island.

As the use of name "Halla" indicates, Mt. Halla and humans had a close relationship not only in the past but also in the present. This time, I would like to talk about how humans are now benefiting from Mt. Halla.

1. Educational purpose
- Mt. Halla is a shield volcano that is formed almost entirely from fluid lava. We can learn the characteristics of shield volcanos from the mountain.
- Mt. Halla is a habitat for a variety of plants and animals that are not found in any other places in Jeju island. 
- Archaeological remains dated 50 - 500 years ago are found in Mt. Halla. The remains are good sources for teaching history.

Astragalus adsurgens Pallas var. alpina Nakai (Endemic to Mt. Halla)

http://www.hallasan.go.kr/hallasan/bd.php?job=detail&ebcf_id=sub01&page=2&artcat=&depart_names=&board_id=sub01&write_method=common&neti_sess=&eb_seq=3414

Rhamnus taquetii Leveille (Endemic to Mt. Halla)

http://www.hallasan.go.kr/hallasan/bd.php?job=detail&ebcf_id=sub01&page=2&artcat=&depart_names=&board_id=sub01&write_method=common&neti_sess=&eb_seq=3412

Elsholtzia pseudo-cristata Leveille & Vaniot for. minima (Nakai) Kitagawa (Endemic to Mt. Halla)

http://www.hallasan.go.kr/hallasan/bd.php?job=detail&ebcf_id=sub01&page=3&artcat=&depart_names=&board_id=sub01&write_method=common&neti_sess=&eb_seq=3130

2. Hiking

- In the past, only high-positioned government officials or other officially permitted people could climb Halla mountain because of its ritual value as a symbol of Jeju island. As hiking recently has become one of the major leisure activities, however, Mt. Halla is mostly open to anyone, with exception of some specially preserved areas. Five major hiking courses are open to the public. The number of hikers has also increased. According to Chung (2006), the total number of people who climbed Mt. Halla in 1980 was about 88,802, but in 2000, the number was 545,423; the number increased more than 6 times.

Hikers on the mountain

http://www.hallasan.go.kr/hallasan/bd.php?page=4&ebcf_id=PHOTO2

Throughout the history, humans in Jeju island have benefited from Mt. Halla for various purposes, from  food source to leisure activity. As human activities in Mt. Halla have increased, human impacts on the mountain also have grown. Next time, I would like to discuss the negative human impacts on Mt. Halla. Thank you!

<References>
Jung, Kwang-Joong, et al. The series for Mt. Halla: Human Geography of Mt. Halla. Jeju: Gak, 2006. Web.

Jung, Kwang-Joong, et al. The series for Mt. Halla: History and remains of Mt. Halla. Jeju: Gak, 2006. Web.