Mount Kumgang /금강산 lit. Diamond Mountain/ are a mountain/mountain range, with a 1,638-metre-high Birobong peak, in Kangwon-do, North Korea. It is about 50 kilometres from the South Korean city of Sokcho in Gangwon-d. It is divided between the "Inner Kumgang" in the west and the "Outer Kumgang" in the east. Kumgang has been known for its scenic beauty since ancient times and is the subject of many different works of art. Including its spring name, Kŭmgangsan (Korean: 금강산; Hanja: 金剛, Korean pronunciation: [kɯmɡaŋsʰan]), it has many different names for each season, but it is most widely known today in the Korean language as Kŭmgangsan. In summer it is called Pongraesan (봉래산, 蓬萊山: the place where a Spirit dwells); in autumn, Phung'aksan (풍악산, 楓岳山: hill of colored leaves, or 楓骨山: great mountain of colored leaves); in winter, Kaegolsan (개골산, 皆骨山: stone bone mountain).
The creation of Mt. Kŭmgang is closely related to the unique climate and distinctive geological activity of the area. Mt. Kŭmgang is a region where rain and snow fall relatively heavily, and the climate varies depending on altitude and even east-west location. The Kŭmgang geological layer is composed of several types of rocks from ancient geological periods. The most widely distributed rocks are granites of two types (mica mixed and stained), with granite-gneissic fertilization zones being formed in some areas. The rocks are transversely oriented and form a joint in various directions, forming unusual terrains and strange rocks, which have been formed as a result of erosion for a long period of crustal activity and weathering, from 10 million years to the present.
In 1927 a national park status was granted to Kumgang.
Original Edict issued on March 25, 1927.
