Rock & Ice Climbing, Bouldering and Rock Walls in South Korea

Here's the question:

I'm leaving for South Korea (Bundang) in two weeks to teach and want to know if I should bring my climbing gear. I mean, are their any good rocks, walls or boulders there? Is it worth the extra weight?

Thomas G.

Easy question here. Yes, it is worth it (because climbing equipment is very expensive here) and yes there are some excellent rocks to climb around on in Korea. However, I am not speaking from a lot of experience. I have gone climbing only twice since I've been here and one of those times, we were rained out. There does seem to be a close-knit groups of dedicated climbers on the peninsula though.

There's a climbing club called Korea on the Rocks that has endless info about climbing in Korea. They also are pretty big on ice climbing which is not that common in the West. I preferred bouldering while in the States and they even have some good resources on that.

The first time I went climbing here was with Korea on the Rocks. They're all pretty good climbers, but are more than willing to help the noobs. Many of them are long term expats and have cars which is always nice and super convenient for those hard-to-find climbs. If you don't their site provides forums, directions and other helpful links. Also, it never hurts to check out Adventure Korea. They always have some good ideas.

You could also take a gander at...

• Rockclimbing.com
• Asiarooms.com
• Indoorclimbing.com
• World-wildlife-adventures.com
• Iguidekorea.com
• ABCofrockclimbing.com

I'll also mention that the Korean climbers that I have seen are pretty damn amazing and they apparently have that reputation around the world. If you're okay with some traveling, then Korea is a perfect place for you to continue your climbing.

If anybody has any questions, just send me an email at asktheexpat@yahoo.com or leave a comment