Gwangyang’s Gubongsan Mountain Panorama Walk to Open on the 10th; Advance Reservations Capped at 200 Visitors per Hour

【Financial News, Gwangyang—Reporter Hwang Tae-jong】The Gwangyang Gubongsan Mountain Panorama Walk will officially open on the 10th.
 The Panorama Walk is a key facility in a project to turn Gubongsan Mountain into a landmark, jointly pursued by Gwangyang-si and POSCO. POSCO invested 18 billion won to build it.
 According to Gwangyang-si on the 6th, the city has completed the trial run of the Panorama Walk, an experiential structure built at the summit of Gubongsan Mountain, and will begin regular operations on the 10th.
 The Panorama Walk consists of a spiral ramp measuring 13–21 meters wide and 27 meters high, with a total length of 365 meters. Visitors can walk along the ramp and take in sweeping views of the industrial, coastal and natural scenery where Gwangyang Bay, Yi Sun-sin Bridge, POSCO Gwangyang Steel Works and Baegunsan come together.
 Gwangyang Mayor Park Seong-hyeon emphasized, “The Panorama Walk is a tourism asset that lets people experience from a new perspective the cityscape shaped by the industry, sea and nature of Gwangyang Bay.” 
 Gwangyang-si held an unveiling ceremony on October 8, followed by a trial run from October 9 through November 8. During that period, it conducted a comprehensive review of the facility’s condition, visitor routes, the suitability of the reservation system and on-site staffing arrangements.
 In particular, the advance reservation system, which limited reservations to 200 people per hour through the ‘MY Gwangyang’ app during the trial period, was found to help spread out arrivals, improve the visitor experience, and ease congestion in the parking lot and traffic on the access road. The city will therefore retain the system and adjust opening hours flexibly based on seasonal daylight hours and usage conditions.
 During winter (November–March), the site will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; in summer (April–October), it will welcome visitors from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. It will be closed every Monday for facility inspections and maintenance.
 Gwangyang-si will also apply safety management criteria based on weather conditions and visitor numbers. Entry will be restricted if more than 150 people are on site at once, wind gusts exceed 8 meters per second, or weather conditions deteriorate due to rain, snow or other factors. Operations will also be restricted to protect visitors in emergencies, including when typhoon, heat-wave or cold-wave warnings are issued, or when an earthquake with an intensity of 3.3 or higher occurs.
 To ensure the facility operates reliably, staff will be assigned to overall management, facility management, security, and operations and visitor information. Safety measures will also include contracting a professional security company to prevent unauthorized entry, operating motion sensors, and obtaining liability coverage for public facilities.
 Gwangyang-si also plans to strengthen links with nearby tourist attractions so visits to Panorama Park do not remain one-off experiences but help boost tourism in the region.
 In particular, the city plans to expand travel offerings centered on the Gubongsan area, encompassing food, accommodation and culture, to broaden visitors’ itineraries and help increase sales and income for local businesses.
 Gwangyang Mayor Park Seong-hyeon said, “With the official opening of Panorama Park, we will develop Gubongsan into a symbolic place from which to take in Gwangyang’s past, present and future, and expand tourism infrastructure so more visitors will come to Gwangyang, stay and experience the region’s diverse attractions.”
 During the trial run of Panorama Park, an average of 3,061 people visited each day. About 30% were Gwangyang residents and about 70% came from outside the city. By region, the Jeolla region accounted for the largest share at about 40%, followed by the Gyeongsang region, the Seoul metropolitan area, the Chungcheong region and Jeju Island.

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