A single stone we often overlook can become a part of a city's history and a tourist attraction.
Turkey's Cappadocia has transformed volcanic ash into a world-renowned tourist destination through thousands of years of natural erosion and human intervention. Similarly, the Bandelier National Monument in New Mexico, USA, utilizes massive tuff cliffs and the remnants of Native American dwellings as key tourist resources.
What about Mokpo?
Remarkably, much of Mokpo is also a city built on tuff.
According to the Mokpo City Natural Environment Report, most of the city is composed of tuff, and the Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources has designated the tuff in the area as 'Yudal Mountain Tuff.'
The distribution of Yudal Mountain Tuff is extensive.
It stretches from the northern area near Mokpo City Hall in Yongdang-dong to the southern region around Samho in Yeongam, and from the eastern area of Buhungsan to the western islands of Jangjwa and Goha.
This means Mokpo is essentially a vast 'geological museum.'
Volcanic Ash Turned to Stone: Millions of Years of History Hidden Beneath Mokpo
Tuff is a rock formed from volcanic ash and debris that has accumulated and solidified over time following a volcanic eruption.
Mokpo's tuff is particularly well observed around Yudal Mountain and Gatbawi. The characteristics of tuff can be seen at the summit of Yudal Mountain and around Madang Rock, where various sizes and types of tuff fragments are present.
The Yudal Mountain and Gatbawi we see every day are not just ordinary mountains and rock formations; they are 'natural history books' recording the massive volcanic activity and geological changes Mokpo has experienced.
If geological resources are connected to the islands of Goha, Jangjwa, and Dalido, Mokpo has the potential to become a unique geotourism city that combines mountains, sea, islands, and modern cultural heritage.
The World Has Already Turned Tuff into a Tourist Product
A prime example is Turkey's Cappadocia.
The region around Nevşehir, Ürgüp, and Avanos features tuff layers formed by volcanic activity that have eroded over time, creating unique formations known as 'fairy chimneys.'
People have carved this relatively easy-to-work stone to build homes, churches, monasteries, and underground cities. Today, Göreme National Park and the rock sites of Cappadocia are designated as UNESCO World Heritage sites, attracting global tourists.
Similarly, the Bandelier National Monument in New Mexico showcases massive tuff layers formed by volcanic eruptions. Indigenous peoples utilized the soft and easily workable tuff to carve out living spaces in cliffs and used it in construction.
Now, this 'relationship between stone and humanity' has become a tourist attraction.
Tuff is no longer just a common stone.
It is a tourism resource that connects geology, history, architecture, and human life into a single narrative.
Mokpo Also Has Buildings Made of Tuff
One of the representative buildings showcasing the value of tuff in Mokpo is the Muntae High School main building, a registered cultural heritage site.
Constructed between 1953 and 1958, this building is confirmed to be made from tuff quarried in Mokpo's Sanjeong-dong.
The structure features an E-shape with protruding central and end sections, highlighting the unique texture of the tuff through different finishing techniques.
Notably, the central section incorporates 33 tuff blocks, symbolizing the 33 representatives of the March 1st Movement.
This marks the beginning of new possibilities for tourism in Mokpo.
Mokpo is home to numerous modern buildings, including the former Japanese consulate, now the Mokpo Modern History Museum, and the former Oriental Development Company Mokpo branch, which houses the second modern history museum.
The second modern history museum is a two-story stone building constructed in 1921. This area was registered in 2018 as Korea's first spatial unit national registered cultural heritage site, covering an area of 114,038 square meters.
However, there is currently insufficient academic evidence to definitively state that all the stone used in these buildings is Mokpo tuff.
This presents an opportunity for new tourism policies.
Investigating the 'Stone DNA' of Modern Stone Architecture
Mokpo City needs to conduct a comprehensive survey of the stones used in modern buildings in the old downtown area, collaborating with local universities and geology and architecture experts.
This involves scientifically verifying which rocks were used in which buildings, where they were quarried, and whether they are the same as Yudal Mountain tuff or other local rocks.
If additional buildings using locally quarried tuff, like the Muntae High School main building, are confirmed, the narrative changes.
A new story emerges: 'Mokpo's buildings were made from Mokpo's stone.'
This connects the geological resources formed at Yudal Mountain with the modern architecture of the old downtown as a single tourism content.
Creating the 'Mokpo Stone Road'
Mokpo's tourism needs to expand from mere sightseeing to 'walking tourism in search of stories.'
Considering the creation of a 'Mokpo Yudal Mountain Tuff Geo-Road' is worthwhile.
This would connect Yudal Mountain and Madang Rock to Nojeokbong, the old downtown, the Mokpo Modern History Museum 1 and 2, the modern history cultural space, Gatbawi, and Goha.
The Muntae High School main building, constructed from tuff quarried in Sanjeong-dong, could serve as a key hub for 'Mokpo Tuff Architectural Heritage.'
QR codes could be installed at each location to provide information on the rock formation process, construction years, stone processing methods, and Mokpo's modern history via smartphones.
This would go beyond simply stating, 'This building is old,' to telling visitors, 'Where did this stone come from, when was it made, and who built it?'
Mokpo's Unique Geotourism Potential Compared to Jeju and Cheorwon
In South Korea, volcanic landscapes, such as Jeju's Suwolbong and the Han River area in Cheorwon, are utilized as tourist resources.
However, Mokpo has distinct advantages.
It is where geology and the history of a modern city intersect.
Visitors can see natural tuff at Yudal Mountain and Gatbawi, then descend to the old downtown to explore how locally sourced stone was used as building material, and finally encounter the history of Mokpo's opening and urban development in the modern history cultural space.
Connecting Mokpo's sea, islands, aerial cable cars, and modern history cultural space could also expand the potential for stay-type tourism products.
Cappadocia Also Started with 'Stone'
Tourism resources do not always need to be newly created.
They can begin with something that has been there for millions of years, waiting for us to discover its value.
Just as the people of Cappadocia carved tuff to build homes and cities, the people of Mokpo have used locally sourced stone to construct buildings.
And those traces still remain today.
What Mokpo needs to do is not create new tourist resources but find the value in the resources it already possesses and weave them into a single narrative.
The name 'Yudal Mountain Tuff' itself should be utilized as a tourism resource.
By connecting the natural geological heritage of Yudal Mountain and Gatbawi, the tuff architectural heritage including the Muntae High School main building, and the modern history cultural space, a brand called 'Mokpo: The City Made of Stone' can be established.
Stones do not speak.
Yet, they hold the history of a city from volcanic activity millions of years ago to the opening of the port, urban formation, and the lives of today's Mokpo residents.
The 'stones of Mokpo,' which have been overlooked beneath our feet, could become a new cornerstone attracting tourists to Mokpo.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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