Mount Yuryeon

Mount Yuryeon

Mount Yuryeon is located in the “Phuwon Plateau” of South Hamgyong Province in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. When viewed from afar, the stone pagodas on the ridges of Mount Yuryeon resemble white jade spread across a green lotus mat, hence the name.

Mount Yuryeon features three major attractions worth seeing: the Stone River, the Stone Pagodas, and the Stone Sea. Among them, the Stone River is about 760 meters long and around 85 meters wide. It is a river several kilometers long where only the sound of water can be heard but the surface remains unseen. If the forest-covered sections are included, the actual length of the Stone River is about 3 kilometers, with a width of approximately 160 meters downstream, 230 to 250 meters midstream, and 280 to 320 meters upstream. The rocks on the riverbed are similar to those found on the mountain peaks and ridges.

When temperatures drop below minus 25 to 35 degrees Celsius, the rocks begin to crack due to freezing. During the late glacial period, around 20,000 to 70,000 years ago, the average January temperature in the Mount Yuryeon area was consistently below minus 30 degrees Celsius. As a result, the fractured rock masses underwent freeze-thaw fracturing. The flat terrain of the ridges led to the formation of the Stone Sea. The current Stone Sea spans approximately 0.8 kilometers in length and 2 kilometers in width, covered with rocks measuring about 0.4 to 0.5 meters in height, 0.7 to 0.8 meters in width, and 1.5 meters in length, as well as rocks that are 1 to 1.5 meters high, 1.5 to 2 meters wide, and 2 to 2.5 meters or even over 3 meters in length. Around 70% of the Stone Sea is now covered with vegetation, while the remaining 30% remains exposed on the ground, forming a spectacular sight.

Ongnyon San

Why Go: The most magical mountain in North Korea

Continent: Asia

Country/Region: North Korea

Province/State: South Hamgyong Province