Growing cat population at summit becomes attraction, but also raises environmental concerns

A hiker poses for a photo with stray cats living at the summit of Yongbongsan. (Courtesy of Instagram @jsn__03)
A hiker poses for a photo with stray cats living at the summit of Yongbongsan. (Courtesy of Instagram @jsn__03)

With the arrival of spring, hikers are making their way back to the mountains.

But at Yongbongsan, a popular local peak in Hongseong County, South Chungcheong Province, visitors are coming for something unexpected: Stray cats.

Around 10 cats are regularly seen near the summit, with some 40 believed to inhabit the upper reaches of the mountain, county officials said Wednesday.

First spotted about a couple of years ago, the cats have since become a must-see on the mountain, with some even given names.

One yellow-furred cat is nicknamed “cheese cat,” while a white and gray mixed cat goes by “chaos,” according to online communities.

"I kept walking, wondering when the peak would appear, but the moment I saw the cats, I knew I had arrived. There was a pair that looked like a couple, and they were the most popular among hikers," one user wrote on Threads.

Song, a hiker in her 40s who visits Yongbongsan more than once a month, told The Korea Herald, “Many people come up here with snacks just for them. I hope the county takes good care of them so they can become ambassadors for Yongbongsan and help make it better known across the country.”

Most of the cats on Yongbongsan are believed to have been abandoned, according to animal protection groups.

A group of stray cats living on Yongbongsan. (Courtesy of Hongseong County Council)
A group of stray cats living on Yongbongsan. (Courtesy of Hongseong County Council)
Two stray cats believed to be a pair walk across rocky terrain on Yongbongsan. (Courtesy of Instagram @na_santam_)
Two stray cats believed to be a pair walk across rocky terrain on Yongbongsan. (Courtesy of Instagram @na_santam_)

“In 2020, I saw a post in an online community saying that two cats and two kittens had been abandoned at a pavilion near the mountain. I believe those cats later made their way up to the summit in search of food, where hikers often eat,” said Lim So-young, head of the Hongseong Stray Cat Association, in an interview with a local news outlet.

Amid the cats’ growing popularity, concerns are mounting that their rising numbers could harm the local ecosystem.

“Cats may be familiar to humans, but they are skilled hunters. With no natural predators, their numbers have been increasing, and crows and magpies that were once common on Yongbongsan have disappeared. Pheasants and snakes are also rarely seen. The ecosystem is being disrupted,” an official at the Chungnam Wildlife Rescue Center said.


cjh@heraldcorp.com