Seoraksan National Park

Seoraksan National Park protects a range of granite and gneiss peaks in Gangwon Province on Korea's east central peninsula, established in 1970 and rising to 1,708 meters at its highest summit, Daecheongbong. The park records about 1,013 plant species, including 822 vascular plants ranging from Siberian pine on its southern slopes to oak and other deciduous trees on the north, and about 1,562 animal species, among them the endangered Korean goral and musk deer. Its Buddhist temples Baekdamsa and Sinheungsa give it cultural as well as natural significance, UNESCO designated it a Biosphere Reserve in 1982, it sits on the tentative list for World Heritage status, and it hosted the 17th World Scout Jamboree in 1991.