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A summit with three granite plates carved in red letters on the southern rock and one of the most important sites of Baekdu, whose official national historiographic accords show that Kim Jong-il was born in a log cabin, which stands against the backdrop of the peak.
백두산 in Korean, 长白山 or Chángbái Shān in Chinese
An active volcano which last erupted in 1903, with a vast crater lake at its centre, it's the DPRK's highest mountain at 2,744 m (9,000 ft), and also of huge mythical importance to Koreans. The huge crater lake called Chonji ("Lake of Heaven") lies at the summit, surrounded by bare rocky crags. It is one of the deepest alpine lakes in the world, and also one of the coldest. The Chinese side of the mountain, which occupies half of the caldera lake as well, is a lot more accessible and much more inexpensive to visit than the North Korean side. Baekdusan is sacred to all Koreans, because according to Korean mythology it is where Dangun, the 'Son of the Lord of Heaven', descended to earth and founded the first Korean kingdom. The mountain's mythology has been appropriated by the DPRK's leader from 1994 to 2011, Kim Jong-il, who claimed the mountain as his birthplace as well.