Mount Kumgang (Korean: 금강산; RR: Geumgangsan; MR: Kŭmgangsan; lit.

Mount Kumgang has been known for its scenic beauty since ancient times[2][3][4] and is the subject of many different works of art.

Kŭmgang is a region where rain and snow fall relatively heavily, and the climate varies depending on altitude and even east-west location.

[7] The most widely distributed rocks are granites of two types (mica mixed and stained), with granite-gneissic fertilization zones being formed in some areas.

[14] Much of the mountain is covered by mixed broadleaf and coniferous forest and protected in a 60,000 ha national park.

Some 25,000 ha has been identified by BirdLife International as an Important Bird Area (IBA) because it supports endangered red-crowned cranes.

[16] Starting in 1998, South Korean tourists were allowed to visit Mount Kumgang, initially travelling by cruise ship, and later more commonly by coach.

[17] The Mount Kumgang Tourist Region, developed by Hyundai Asan, was thought to be one way for the North Korean government to earn hard currency.

[citation needed] There had been plans to expand the site but as of late 2022 there were reports based on satellite imagery that the resort's facilities, including a golf course and a floating hotel, were being dismantled pursuant to directives from leader Kim Jong Un.

Park Wang-ja entered a military area by crossing over a sand dune and was shot twice by North Korean soldiers.

However, on October 1, 2010, news reports said, "Red Cross officials from the two Koreas agreed Friday to hold reunions for families separated by the Korean War amid mixed signals from North Korea on easing tensions over the sinking of a South Korean warship.

One hundred families from each country will attend the meetings from Oct. 30 to Nov. 5 at a hotel and reunion center at the North's scenic Diamond Mountain resort, Unification Ministry spokeswoman Lee Jong-joo said.

"[citation needed] As of September 2011, North Korea has begun operating cruises directly from Rason in north-eastern North Korea, to the port in Mount Kumgang, offering visitors the chance to stay in the resorts previously run by the south.

[27] Among other well-known works are the Geumgang jeondo and the Pungaknaesan chongramdo, painted in the 1740s by Jeong Seon.

[28] The 155-mile-long (249 km) barbed-wire fence erected as part of the DMZ (Demilitarized zone) separating the two Koreas proved to be an obstacle stronger than any other barrier.

It is also the setting of the 1973 North Korean revolutionary opera The Song of Mount Kumgang, and is a central motif in the South Korea TV drama Saimdang, Memoir of Colors.