Located on the top of Mt. Paektu, it is the crater lake on the highest elevation in the world.
From olden times, it was called “Taethaek”or “Taeji” which means a great pond, and “Chonji” which means a holy lake. It was also called “Ryongdam” or “Ryongwangthaek”, in the meaning that the dragon ruling all ponds around the world lives here.
The lake is surrounded by more than 20 peaks of over 2 600 metres high.
It has an area of 9.16 square kilometres, a circumference of 14.4 kilometres and maximum depth of 384 metres. It will take over sixty years to pump out all the water in the lake at the speed of 1 cube metre per second. The water source of the lake is the rainfall, thawing snow and underground water.
In the lake, there live Chonji char and small planktons, and on the lakeside there live such animals as Paektusan deer, roe deer, wolf and wide goose. There are hundreds of plants, including rhododendron blossoming even in the snow and blueberry.
The water of the lake has a special virtue for health and longevity as it contains major ions, i.e. the ingredients of mineral water. Therefore, it is said that if you drink a cup of the water, you will live for a hundred years.
As the surrounding air of the lake has plenty of anion, it helps relaxing the nervous system of the body and recreating oneself.
