Considered one of South Korea's most beautiful tourist sites,[1][2] it is famed for being the easternmost mountain on Jeju, and thus the best spot on the island to see the first sunrise of the year.

[3] Seongsan Ilchulbong is a UNESCO Natural World Heritage Site, as part of the item Jeju Volcanic Island and Lava Tubes.

This latter name has reportedly been used since ancient times, and is derived from a belief that the mountain is one of the best places to view the sunrise on Jeju Island.

[3] In 2021, a study reported that a 600 m (2,000 ft) wide crater from before the formation of Seongsan Ilchulbong now partially overlaps with the mountain site.

[7] Seongsan Ilchulbong was formed around 6,700 years ago,[1] by Surtseyan-type hydrovolcanic activity upon a shallow seabed.

[9] The mountain was originally disconnected from Jeju Island, but the accumulation of sediment caused the two to connect.

[14] During the Goryeo under Mongol rule period (13th to 14th centuries), ranches for horses were established near the mountain.

These boats were intended to stymie anticipated Allied landings on Jeju; the around 18 caves they dug remain, and are now Registered Cultural Heritages of South Korea.

[10] People raised horses and lived inside the crater before it became an environmentally protected site in the late 20th century.