| Gama Oreum | |||
| Location: | Cheongsu-ri,, Jeju City, Jeju Province, South Korea | ||
| Elevation M: | 140.5 | ||
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Gama Oreum is an oreum (small extinct volcano; parasitic cones) in Cheongsu-ri,, Jeju City, Jeju Province, South Korea.[1] [2] __TOC__
The oreum is named for and said to resemble gamasot, traditional Korean pots.[3] [4] An alternate pronunciation for the name is Gamae Oreum, and the name's Hanja is read as "Buak".
The oreum is 140.5m (461feet) above sea level, and 51m (167feet) higher than the surrounding area. It is considered fairly easy to hike up, and takes around 20 minutes to reach the top. It occupies an area of 2059m2. It has a horseshoe-shaped crater that opens to the northeast. It is surrounded by farmland and a rural community.During the 1910–1945 Japanese colonial period, the Japanese military used the oreum as a base. During World War II, in anticipation of an eventual Allied invasion of Korea that never came to pass, . These tunnels now remain, and total around 1.5km (00.9miles) in length.[5] Jejuans were pressed into forced labor to create these tunnels, which were largely forgotten until the 21st century.[6]
At the base of the oreum and near the tunnels is the Jeju Peace Museum, which opened in 2004.[7] The tunnels were available for tourist entry until 2013, when they were deemed unsafe and closed. Efforts were made to renovate and stabilize them, but by 2018 did not result in their reopening.[8]