Top judge wants trail to himself, disappointing hikers

Social Affairs

Published: 21 Jun. 2022, 18:27

Top judge wants trail to himself, disappointing hikers

A placard near the entrance of the official residence of the head of the Constitutional Court in Jongno District, central Seoul partially reads “No trepassing” on Sunday. [LEE SU-MIN]

Mr. Ryu couldn’t wait to climb Mount Bukak.

The 59-year-old from Gangnam District, southern Seoul, had heard great reviews from his friends about hiking trails near the Blue House that were opened to the public for the first time in decades.

Ryu was particularly keen to try the path that began from the official residence of the head of the Constitutional Court, which he heard was the best of them all.

But when he arrived at the entrance to that path last Sunday, he found it closed.

“I walked half an hour from Gyeongbok Station to get here!” Ryu exclaimed as he saw a sign banning hikers from the path — and warning them that they would be trespassing if they disobeyed.

“I’m flabbergasted.”

In the 15 minutes that a JoongAng Ilbo reporter stood near the front gate of the Constitutional Court residence, 13 hikers were forced to make a detour. The trail, which was among several opened to the public on May 10 — when President Yoon Suk-yeol was inaugurated and declared the Blue House and its environs open — closed on June 2.

The Constitutional Court complained of “loud noises” and “possible invasion of privacy.”

The Cultural Heritage Administration, which manages tours to the Blue House compound in Jongno District, central Seoul, and the hiking trails nearby, said it accepted the court’s complaint and decided to close the trail again. Part of the trail is actually owned by the Constitutional Court.

The Cultural Heritage Administration said some 1,000 people walked the trail on weekdays after May 10 and nearly 3,000 on weekends.

“A lot of hikers walked the trail since it opened, so [the Constitutional Court] expressed discomfort about privacy protection,” an official at the Cultural Heritage Administration told the JoongAng Ilbo. “We can’t force them to open the trail because part of it is owned by [the court].”

The head of the Constitutional Court, Yoo Nam-seok, is the fourth most important person in Korea after the president, speaker of the National Assembly and chief justice of the Supreme Court. His residence, just a few meters from the Blue House, is over 10,000 square meters (2.47 acres), most of which is covered by trees.

Yoo is the only bigwig still living in an official residence near the Blue House. Other high-level officials with residences nearby moved out after Yoon opened up the Blue House to public tours.

The hiking trails behind the former presidential office on Mount Bukak had been closed to the public since North Korean commandos infiltrated the area in 1968 in an unsuccessful attempt to assassinate President Park Chung Hee.

With the trail passing Yoo’s residence closed, hikers are forced to walk some 400 to 500 meters (0.2 to 0.3 mile) to another entrance to hike up the mountain.

Some business owners are complaining of fewer customers.

“My coffee shop was packed with people last month,” said Mr. Bae, 55. “Now, it’s empty again. It’s like the neighborhood has gone back to the struggling times of the pandemic.”

Ms. Shin, 44, who owns a Chinese restaurant near Yoo’s residence, said her sales rose by 30 to 40 percent last month for the first time since Covid broke out. This month, they've collapsed.

“I was just about to get back on track,” said Bae. “Now, I’m back at what I used to make during Covid.”

BY LEE SU-MIN, LEE SUNG-EUN [lee.sungeun@joongang.co.kr]