By Tim Binnall
A South Korean mountain mentioned by a television fortune teller has seen a surge in visitors, including a mix of miscreants and thoughtless tourists who have left an unfortunate mark on the picturesque site. According to a local media report, the curious case began back in January when popular mystic Park Seong-jun appeared on the variety show 'You Quiz on the Block' and offered a rather ringing endorsement of the location. "When your luck isn't turning around, go to Gwanaksan," the fortune teller told television viewers, advising them that climbing the mountain "can open up positive energy."
The mystic's musings about Gwanaksan Mountain have made it something of a viral sensation in Korea, with thousands of people flocking to the site since the start of the year in hopes of improving their fortunes. Alas, proving that "this is why we can't have nice things" is a complaint that can be applied throughout the world these days, the uptick in visitors to the site has also included a few bad apples, seemingly hell-bent on ruining the moment for everyone else. The first such instance occurred in early April at Madangbawi Rock, a popular resting spot and picture location along a hiking trail on the mountain, when a miscreant armed with a can of yellow spray paint wrote "there's no Gwanaksan luck for you. Nyah!"
As one might imagine, the audacious act of vandalism was widely decried in Korea, with police promising to increase patrols at the site and the public calling for the perpetrator to be prosecuted. While not as egregious as April's still-unsolved incident, the craze surrounding Gwanaksan Mountain was back in the news this past week after someone reportedly snapped a particularly infuriating photo during their visit. The image, which has gone viral on Korean social media, shows several pieces of trash floating atop a large puddle discolored from someone having dumped ramen noodle broth in it. Once again, people online lambasted the ill-behaved individuals who thoughtlessly littered at the location.
"Damage to the mountain is piling up since it became a hot spot for good fortune,” lamented one social media user, "it’s becoming a hot spot for trash instead." This was echoed by a resident who understandably longed for the days before Gwanaksan's proverbial fifteen minutes of fame. "Some young people don't seem to come for luck, but for social media photos," Son Sung-won observed, "it's good that more people are visiting, but the mountain has lost some of its tranquility." Fortunately, like most fads, the Gwanaksan Mountain craze will likely fizzle out sooner rather than later as people move on to whatever the next big thing turns out to be.