The tragedy of Seorak and the warning of Ulsan Rock: A dizzying struggle on the rock wall that separates life and death. > News

On the 14th, an accident happened to four people who were enjoying rock climbing at Ulsanbawi Rock on Mt. Seorak, instantly turning their peaceful daily lives into hell. An unfortunate situation occurred where a man in his 50s fell down a rock and eventually died, and in the aftermath of the accident, the rope was lost to the bottom of the cliff, leaving the other three people in a state of isolation and unable to move. The rescue team used a drone to find people who were hanging on to a dizzying cliff, and a special mountain rescue team had to carry out a life-threatening rescue operation by climbing the rock wall with their bare hands. This struggle, which took place on the highly difficult Ulsanbawi course, clearly demonstrated the dangers that unskilled people should not approach hastily.

What makes this accident even more shocking is that the accident that occurred in Ulsanbawi is by no means a one-time occurrence. Just 15 days ago, on the 29th of last month, there was an accident in which a hiker in his 70s died after being found in cardiac arrest at the same location, and this weekend, there were a series of emergency rescue requests due to falls and illnesses from various mountains in the Gangwon region. A hiker in his 70s suddenly collapsed while hiking on Mt. Dutasan and was taken to the hospital, but died. A hiker in his 60s fell 10 meters near the Namseorak Visitor Center and suffered serious injuries. The Gangwon Mountain Range was literally in a 'whirlpool of accidents.' These repeated mountaineering accidents suggest how dangerous insensitivity to safety and overconfidence in an individual's physical limitations are as the climbing population increases.

Meanwhile, the historical value of Ulsan Rock evokes a different level of awe than the ruggedness of nature. The fact that the 'deer horn harpoon head embedded in a whale bone', which proves the whaling technology of the Neolithic Age 7,000 years ago, was recently designated as a national folk cultural heritage represents the importance of this region in human history. This relic, along with the Bangucheon Petroglyphs, shows that the Ulsan region was the center of a prehistoric maritime civilization, emphasizing that it is a valuable heritage that we must protect and preserve, regardless of the threats nature poses to humans. We need to reflect on the dual meaning that rugged rocky mountains are sometimes cruel spaces that take lives, but at the same time, they are also the home of humanity where our ancestors fiercely pioneered a life.

The common thread that runs through these thoughts is the acknowledgment of how weak humans are in front of the gigantic sculpture of nature. It is common in human history to use metaphors such as 'hitting a rock with an egg' in political discourse or social conflict to express political limitations, but the Ulsan Rock on Mt. Seorak is a physical entity that goes beyond the metaphor and scolds human arrogance. Taking on a challenge that you are not prepared for is not courage, but recklessness, and hiking without a cool-headed analysis of your physical strength and environment will lead directly to tragedy. Therefore, we will be able to break this cycle of tragedy only if we recognize nature not as an object of conquest, but as an object of coexistence that must be treated with respect and humility.