When hiking in Korea, you’ll be bound to come upon various hiking signs warning you of danger, falling rocks, or even of bears. Most of the signs have English translations, but a few are only in Korean. This post is about a few of the signs.

Most of the signs have the phrases 주의. This means be careful or beware of. Another commonly found phrase is 금지, or prohibited or forbidden.

The first sign shown above is from my hike on Jirisan on Saryang Island, which is a small island located south of the Korean mainland. The sign comes with an illustration, so you can guess its meaning. The sign says 낙서주의 or beware of falling rocks.

The next two signs warn hikers of slippery paths. The first sign is from my trip to Hwaak Mountain in Gyeonggi Province. The sign says 미끄럼주의, which is translated on the sign as “Watch out the sliding.” It’s not perfect English, but you get the picture. It means you should be careful you don’t slide or slip.

Another sign warning of slippery surfaces was on Halla Mountain on Jeju Island.

Here’s a sign that I came upon during my hike to Sobaek Mountain. The sign says in red letters 출입금지. This means that entry is prohibited. The lines of text below explain that entry into the valley is restricted for the sake of the protection of the ecosystem.

The final sign of this post is my favorite. It is from my trip to Jirisan during this past winter. The sign warns travelers of bears, as you might have guessed from the picture. Below the picture, the text explains that it’s possible to confront a bear if one strays off from set hiking trails.