I have been exploring the deep untouched mountains of the Baekdu Daegan in North Korea since 2011. As the first foreigner allowed to do so, I have visited at least sixty peaks of this important unbroken ridge in North Korea. The photos are turned into photo art books. My work has also featured in photo exhibitions, television and newspaper interviews, and two TV documentaries. Having visited North Korea at least fifteen times, my work is very much focused on the peaceful reengagement of the two Korea’s using the Baekdu Daegan which forms the mountain spine of the peninsula as a symbol for One Korea. I began wondering if it might be attractive to get permission for foreigners to backpack over the pristine and unexplored highland regions of Paektu-san in the far north of Korea. I experimented with that idea in August 2018, and again in 2019. The corona pandemic and now the current global political situation between Russia and the West has put an uncertainty on any near future travel back into North Korea. I would hope that one day in the future the Paektu-plateau area can be developed wisely with a managed trail network, shelters, guides, and a permit system that allows a limited amount of visitors to hike it each season. The region has a delicate and sensitive ecology and is a culturally important zone sacred to the liberation of Korea from Japan. There are several Partisan routes on the Baekdu-daegan or near larger peaks in the northern regions of North Korea.
Paektu Highlands 6N/7D Hiking Expeditions from 2018 and 2019.
In 2018 and 2019, HIKEKOREA conducted exclusive overnight hiking routes through the pristine and untouched Paektu-san highlands preservation zone in the northern province of Ryanggang-do at the foot of Korea’s highest and most sacred mountain, Paektu-san 2750m. The circuit covered climbing Paektu-san, with a descent into the caldera to taste the waters of Chonji lake. Then ascend out, and down onto the plateau. We then trekked across the plateau on open highland with volcanic soils and grasses before ducking into endless horizons of Larch pine forests, full of wildflowers, and species of deer, bear, and some say tiger and leopard. We followed old foot trails used by the Korean people over the centuries, including the partisan anti-Japanese fighters of the early 20th century. We camped at the historic partisan camps. We cooked our own food on open fires.
See more photos at https://hikekorea.picfair.com
“A mind-opening encounter with the most misunderstood country of our present time. Intimate encounters with local guides, spiritual mountains and delightful local food and flora. Gritty historical narratives intertwined with on-the-ground reconnaissance of historic sites combine for a deep-dive into the forces that shape modern-day DPRK. Not for soft souls or closed minds.” F.Morgan 2019.