Mt. Baekdu 백두산 is a volcanic mountain on the border of China and North Korea. Baekdu means "white-headed" since it's covered with snow from mid October through mid June. The first kingdom of Korea, Gojoseon 고조선 (2333BC~108BC), originated on Mt. Baekdu, and it has been a prominent ancestral mountain worshipped by Korean people throughout history. Although there are no written records, the last big eruption is believed to have happened around 1000 years ago, and its volcanic ashes are still found on Mt. Baekdu, and as far away as the southern part of Hokkaido in Japan. Some scholars believe the sudden fall of the Balhae 발해 Kingdom (698~926) was due to the eruption of Mt. Baekdu. Balhae was the last state in Korean history to hold any significant territory in Manchuria. Chinese volcanologists predict another eruption within 100 years as a 10~20 % possibility.
Mt. Baekdu is 2750 m (9,022 feet) high, and has one of the highest lakes in the world, called Cheonji 천지, which lies on the top of the mountain. Mt. Baekdu is 385 km (239 miles) from Pyongyang and takes 20 hours by train and 1 hour by air. Tourists can get to Mt. Baekdu via Yanji 延吉 China by bus, and enjoy falls, ski resorts, and hot springs among other recreations.
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