Geomunoreum

Geomunoreum, alternatively Geomeunoreum, is an oreum around Jocheon and Gujwa in Jeju City, South Korea.
The oreum is a popular tourist attraction, and has been a Natural Monument of South Korea No. 444 since January 6, 2005. In 2007, the Geomunoreum Lava Tube System around the oreum was made a UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site, as part of the item Jeju Volcanic Island and Lava Tubes.
There are several other oreum in Jeju with similar names; this one is sometimes called the Seonheul-ri Geomunoreum or Dong Geomunoreum.

Toponymy

An early name for the oreum was Bangha Oreum or Banghaak. The oreum's name was later attested to as Geomunoreum or Geomunak. The oreum's name is possibly related to darkness, referring to the unusually dark soil or the dark forested areas of the oreum.

Description

It is estimated to have formed between 200,000 and 300,000 years ago. It has 20 lava tube caves around it.
Its highest point is above sea level, and occupies an area of. The oreum is shaped like a horseshoe that opens to the northeast. It has a trench with a width of and depth of. The trench was created from when an underground lava tube collapsed. There is a dense pine and cedar forest on the oreum.
The oreum hosted Japanese military facilities during the 1910–1945 Japanese colonial period. Some remnants of this period remain, including mines.

Tourism

Tourists are able to hike on the oreum. There are two main routes for tourists: Taegeuk and Yongam. The former circles the crater and the oreum's peaks. The latter is only open once a year to tourists, and follows where lava would have flowed. In 2008, an annual hiking competition for it was established. It is during this hiking competition that Yongam is opened for access. Guided tours of the oreum have been offered.