Daeamsan Yongnup (Gangwon Peace Region National Geopark)

Located at San 170, Seoheung-ri, Seohwa-myeon, Inje-gun, Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province, Yongnup (Dragon Swamp) derives its name from the legend that it is 'a place where a dragon ascending to heaven rested.' It consists of the Large Yongnup (30,820㎡), Small Yongnup (11,500㎡), and Baby Yongnup. It is the only high moor in Korea, situated at an altitude of 1,280m under the sky, and is a globally rare terrain with high ecological and academic value. Yongnup is a rare peat swamp in Korea. A peat layer is a type of spongy stratum formed when dead plants accumulate without fully decomposing; at Yongnup, it is piled up to an average depth of 1m to 1.8m. Because Yongnup is located at the mountain peak, it is shrouded in fog for over 170 days a year, maintaining high humidity, and experiences sub-zero temperatures for more than five months with a long snow cover period, preventing plants from fully decomposing and allowing the peat layer to develop.

Yongnup was discovered in 1966 during an ecological survey of the Demilitarized Zone. It is currently protected as Natural Monument No. 246 (designated July 7, 1973), an Ecological and Landscape Conservation Area (designated December 1989, lifted March 2011), a Wetland Protected Area (designated August 1999), and a Forest Genetic Resource Reserve (designated October 2006). In March 1997, it was registered as the first Ramsar wetland in South Korea. By studying the native plants and sediment layers here, one can understand vegetation changes, natural history, and even climate change on the Korean Peninsula, making it a living natural history museum. The Daeamsan Yongnup ecological tour operates two courses: the Seoheung-ri course and the Gaari course. Visitors must apply through the website and obtain permission to enter.