Korea's most beautiful limestone cave Danyang Gosudonggul Cave

(Natural Monument/National Geopark)

There are hundreds of unexplored limestone caves deep underground in the northern region of Danyang, which is mostly composed of limestone. In particular, the Natural Monument Gosudonggul Cave is 1,395 meters long* and is considered one of the most beautiful caves in Korea. Over the past 40 years, more than 22 million people have visited the cave, which is almost half the population of Korea.
* The public section is 940 meters long.

The cave used to be called Gosu because the "Go" meant high and the "Su" meant bush, but now it is called "Gosu", the "Go" meaning old. The cave stays at 15 degrees year-round, so you'll need to wear extra layers in the summer and a heavy outer layer in the winter, and at least sneakers to be comfortable.

The cave is estimated to have been created 2 million years ago when rainwater flowed down onto the underwater sedimentary rocks that formed 500 million years ago. As you explore the depths of the cave, you'll be greeted by unusual stalactites and stalagmites formed by the combination of air and rainwater from the mountains.

The 'Lion Rock', the guardian of the cave, the statue of Mary that makes you want to pray, the 'Eagle Rock' with its powerful wings, and the 'Dodamsambong Rock' that resembles the actual Dodamsambong Peak, the 'Love Rock', a sad love story of stalactites and stalagmites that grow only one centimeter every 100 years and will not meet until hundreds of thousands of years later, and the 'Cheondang Wall', a marvelous wall that seems almost like something from the heavenly world, the world in the cave shows a magical world with brilliance and magnificence that exceeds our human imagination.