Mount Wolchulsan, straddling the border of Yeongam and Gangjin counties, carries a name that is poetic in itself: "wol" meaning moon and "chul" meaning to rise — "the mountain where the moon rises." The mountain's terrain lives up to this name in its own striking way. Its highest peak, Cheonhwangbong, rises to roughly 809 meters above sea level, and alongside it, sharply carved rock formations such as Gujeongbong, Sajabong, Dogapbong, and Jugeobong form a rugged, dramatic ridgeline.
The process by which this mountain came under national protection unfolded in two stages. In 1973, Mount Wolchulsan was first designated a provincial park. Fifteen years later, on June 11, 1988, it became Korea's 20th designated national park. This elevation from provincial to national park status carried significance beyond mere administrative procedure — it meant that the mountain's natural and scenic value had come to be recognized on a national scale, beyond merely a regional one. The mountain continues today to draw hikers with its distinctive landscape of jagged rock cliffs.