Mungyeong City (문경), located in Gyeongsangbuk-do (경상북도), is famous in Korea for the Mungyeong Saejae Provincial Park (문경새재 도립공원). Most school-age Koreans and adults know about it since many Koreans visit it as part of a school trip or with their families.

The Mungyeong Saejae is a series of three historical gates that once controlled access through a mountainous road that went from Busan to Seoul. Rebuilt in the 1970’s and maintained as a tourist destination, the 6.5km walk/hike from the first gate to the third gate allows visitors to experience a little bit of Korean history.

Mungyeong Saejae Museum

There are two other attractions besides the gates. There is an attractive looking museum that, unfortunately, was most enjoyable from the outside because the contents were rather sparse and ordinary. There is also a TV show film set 300m inside the first gate that you can pay a small fee to wander around. The set was built for historical dramas and honestly looked interesting. However, I didn’t visit the set because I was too eager to start the long 13km round-trip walk to and from the third gate.

First gate at dusk

The first gate is very close to the park’s parking lot. Interestingly, all of the gates have a different design according to the topography of the location it is in. The first gate is the widest of the gates because it sits at the bottom of a valley.

Jogok Falls (조곡폭포)

The distance from the first gate to the second gate is 3km. Nearly the entire road after the first gate to the third gate is shaded by big trees, making the walk much more bearable on hot, sunny days. Shortly before arriving at the second gate, you will come across a beautiful little waterfall on the side of the road called Jogok Falls (조곡폭포).

Gate two

The second gate is located on one side of a ravine, so there is a stone bridge that leads to it. The bridge makes this gate my favorite. While the first gate was wide and offered a glimpse of the mountains behind it that awaited visitors, the second gate is nestled tightly in the mountainside.

It’s another 3.5km from the second gate to the third gate. It’s from this point that the road becomes steeper and a little more strenuous. If you were to turn around here, your hike would total 6km and you’d still have experienced a bit of history. If you continue to the third gate, you’re in for a long 13km round-trip hike. And there isn’t really anything else to see until you get to the third gate.

Gate three

For those who go all the way, you will be rewarded with a spacious grass field to spread a blanket and enjoy your picnic. The large open field makes up the area around the front and side of the third gate and there are enough trees and benches to provide relief from the sun and your tired feet. There’s even a Korean food restaurant where you can buy food and alcohol if you didn’t bring it.

Visitors enjoy a picnic beside gate three

I enjoyed my picnic alongside the third gate and then made my way to the nearest peak called Mapaebong (마패봉) at 925m and just .9km away. The peak offers a glimpse of the surrounding mountains; not enough to satisfy me, but enough to make me want to explore more.

View from Mapaebong (마패봉)

In fact, I decided that it would have been more enjoyable to choose one of the two hiking trails that start around the first gate that go up the right and left side of the valley, and to hike to the third gate that way. That would have then allowed me to casually walk down the main road in order to check out the second gate and the waterfall.

Sitting at my desk and looking back, the Mungyeong Saejae Provincial Park gets my recommendation. The real appeal for me is the history that the road and the gates represent. I will return in the future so that I can take one of the side routes to the third gate and enjoy the surrounding mountains.

Resources
Mungyeong City (Wikipedia)
Mungyeong Saejae (Wikipedia)
Mungyeong Saejae (Korea Tourism Organization)

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