Mount Kumgang – Diamond Mountain from the Sea

Mount Kumgang is a long-celebrated place of exceptional natural beauty, renowned for its near-white granite peaks, deep valleys, waterfalls, and pristine ecosystems, rising to nearly 1,600 metres. The mountain’s dramatic impact is enhanced through constantly changing weather patterns of mists, rain, sunshine and clouds. This sacred mountain is a key site of mountain Buddhism, with traditions dating back to the 5th century. This cultural landscape is home to ancient hermitages, temples, stupas, and stone carvings, many located in the Outer and Inner Kumgang Area. Three temples remain active today and bear exceptional testimony to centuries of Buddhist practice, with tangible and intangible heritage deeply intertwined with the landscape.