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Falling rocks hit two foreign hikers on Seoraksan: autumn hiking safety

Reported 2026-10-11 / Posted 2026-10-14 Updated · 2026-10-15 · Compiled from Korean media reports and the National Fire Agency's October 12 release · By
Correction · 2026-10-15

Seoraksan foliage date corrected: September 28 is the usual date

We wrote, citing Digital Times, that Seoraksan's leaves began turning on September 28, four days earlier than usual. The Korea Meteorological Administration says September 28 matches the normal (평년) first-foliage date for Seoraksan and was four days earlier than last year (October 2, 2025). We have corrected the sentence below.

Falling rocks struck two foreign men in their 20s near Gongnyong Ridge on Seoraksan on Sunday, October 11, and both were rescued by fire-service helicopter and taken to hospital. Korea's National Fire Agency issued autumn hiking safety advice the next day. If you plan a foliage hike in Korea, its seven safety rules and the numbered location signs on trails are worth knowing before you set out.

Dirt hiking path between rope fences under red and orange autumn maples in Seoraksan National Park
File photo: a hiking trail in Seoraksan National Park, Gangwon Province, in autumn 2018.Photo: Trail in Seoraksan National Park 2 by Christophe95 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · resized

The essentials

  • What: rockfall near Gongnyong Ridge (공룡능선), Seoraksan (설악산); two foreign hikers in their 20s injured
  • When: about 09:45 on October 11, 2026
  • Where: Yongdae-ri, Buk-myeon, Inje-gun (인제군 북면 용대리), Gangwon
  • In an emergency: call 119 and give the number on the nearest location sign
  • Status: the reports do not give the hikers' nationality, their current condition or the cause of the rockfall

What happened on Seoraksan

According to Yonhap and the Gangwon Domin Ilbo, both reporting on October 11, the rocks hit the pair on the last day of the Hangeul Day long weekend. The two men reported a head injury and pain in the left arm, among other injuries.

The same reports describe two more helicopter rescues in Gangwon that day. At about 10:06, a man in his 60s who complained of pain was flown from the summit of Birobong on Odaesan (오대산 비로봉). At about 12:13, a woman in her 50s hurt her ankle on the way from Yeongsiam to Oseam (영시암, 오세암) on Seoraksan and was airlifted out.

What the numbers say

From September 1 to October 6, Gangwon's fire service recorded 313 mountain-accident callouts, according to the Gangwon Fire Headquarters (강원도소방본부) figures in both reports. That is 55 more than the 258 over the same dates last year, a rise of 21.3%. The figure counts callouts (출동), not injured people.

Nationally, the National Fire Agency (소방청) recorded 30,583 mountain rescues in 2023–2025, and October accounted for 12.4% of the yearly total, the highest share of any month. The three leading causes:

  • Slips and falls: 9,806 rescues (32.1%)
  • Getting lost: 8,954 (29.3%)
  • Illness: 3,149 (10.3%)

For scale, about 83,000 people visited Seoraksan over the three-day holiday from October 9 to 11, Digital Times reported on October 11.

Before you hike: the fire agency's checklist

These are the National Fire Agency's seven autumn hiking rules from its October 12 release, in plain terms:

  • Check the weather, and don't go alone. Look at the forecast first and avoid solo hikes.
  • Match the route to yourself. Choose a course that fits your fitness and how you feel that day.
  • Start early. Plan to be off the mountain before sunset.
  • Warm up. Do some light warm-up exercises before you start climbing.
  • Pack a light outer layer for big swings in temperature.
  • Stay on designated trails.
  • No alcohol while hiking.

If something goes wrong on the trail

Call 119, Korea's number for fire and ambulance. Trails carry national location-number signs (국가지점번호판) and mountain location markers (산악위치표지판). The fire agency's advice is to find the nearest one, or a clear landmark, and read that number to the dispatcher when you call, so rescuers know where to look.

Our verdict

Seoraksan at peak color is still worth the trip for hikers who start early and keep to marked paths. The trade-off is company: going by the holiday figures above, expect busy trails on peak-season weekends. On a first Korean mountain, a shorter route with a friend fits the fire agency's rules better than an all-day plan. We will update this post if the reports add the two hikers' condition.

The Korea Meteorological Administration's Gangwon office recorded Seoraksan's first autumn colours on September 28, the usual date and four days earlier than last year. Digital Times expects the peak in mid-to-late October. Our foliage forecast puts the peak at about October 16–25.

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