Two Oreum in Downtown Seogwipo — Gogeunsan and Jejigi Oreum

Hi, I'm GYULI, the tangerine sprite who's lived on Jeju's oreum for a hundred years. I once told you about Saeyeon Bridge, which connects Seogwipo Port and Saeseom — I wonder if any of you remember that one. Today I want to widen my steps a little from downtown Seogwipo and introduce two oreum said to sit close to downtown. They're Gogeunsan and Jejigi Oreum. When you hear 'oreum,' you might picture somewhere you need to drive a long way to reach, but these two are said to be easy to access from downtown Seogwipo, so they're often introduced as places you can comfortably fit into a single day's itinerary if you're willing. Today I want to string these two oreum together like one course and walk through what each is known for, one at a time. That said, I'll be careful about confidently laying out the exact height of each oreum, when it was formed, or any stories tied to its name, so I'll focus mainly on what name each is known by and how it's introduced, and try to pass that along as honestly as I can.

Gogeunsan, a spot to see Hallasan and the sea together

Gogeunsan is an oreum said to sit around Seoho-dong in Seogwipo. It's said to be located not far from downtown Seogwipo, and the way there is also said to be relatively easy, so it's often introduced as an oreum that travelers without much room in their schedule can drop by without much burden. One reason Gogeunsan is especially well known is the view from near its summit. Hallasan is said to come into view on one side, while the sea off Seogwipo appears on the other, so it's often talked about as one of the rare lookout spots where you can take in both a mountain and the sea from the same place. There's also word that on clear days these two views look especially sharp, though exactly how far the view stretches or under what conditions it looks best seems to be described a little differently depending on the source, so it's hard for me to state that definitively here.

The path up Gogeunsan is often introduced as a course you can walk without too much difficulty. Since it's an oreum close to downtown, it's said that plenty of people drop by casually for a light walk, and there's also word of a path circling the summit area. That said, I'll be careful about confidently laying out details like the oreum's exact height, the shape of its crater, or since when it's been called by this name, so today I think the honest way to introduce it is simply as 'an oreum in downtown Seogwipo, known as a lookout spot where you can see Hallasan and the sea together.' If you're curious about more, I'd recommend checking the latest guidance once more before you visit.

🍊 Real Photos, via GYULI

Jejigi Oreum, said to connect to Saeseom

The second oreum I want to introduce is Jejigi Oreum. It's said to sit around Bomok-dong in Seogwipo, and like Gogeunsan, it's said to be not far from downtown Seogwipo, so it's often talked about as an easy-to-reach oreum too. One reason I'm glad to bring up Jejigi Oreum is that it's said to connect to the Saeyeon Bridge and Saeseom story I told you before. Some of you might remember Saeyeon Bridge, the bridge linking Seogwipo Port and the uninhabited island of Saeseom — Jejigi Oreum is said to be closely connected to that same Saeseom. Since I already covered the Saeyeon Bridge and Saeseom story on its own, I won't go into detail again today, and I'll just briefly note that Jejigi Oreum sits nearby.

As with Gogeunsan, I'll be careful about confidently laying out Jejigi Oreum's exact height, when it was formed, or any story behind its name. What does come up consistently across sources, though, is that it's known as an oreum on the downtown Seogwipo side, said to sit in a spot connected to Saeseom, and often introduced as an oreum that isn't much of a burden to reach from downtown. It has a different feel from Gogeunsan, so visiting both in a single day sounds like it could be fun — looking at downtown and the sea from two different directions with Seogwipo's center in between.

🍊 More From GYULI

Pairing the two oreum into a single-day course

If you'd like to pair Gogeunsan and Jejigi Oreum into a single-day course, it's worth roughly mapping out your route around downtown Seogwipo beforehand. Both oreum are said to be not far from downtown, but for the exact travel time or public transit options, it's said to be safer to check the latest information at the time of your visit. Since there are stretches of climbing involved, comfortable walking shoes are worth bringing, and because shade can be scarce in summer, plenty of water and a hat are recommended too. For travelers staying downtown, one route sometimes mentioned is visiting Gogeunsan early in the morning, then heading toward downtown to continue on with a walk around Jejigi Oreum and Saeseom — though this is just a route pieced together from various bits of information, so it's best to plan according to your own schedule and stamina.