The South Korean government announced it will designate the five-story stone pagoda in the Bongjeong-am hermitage in Seorak Mountain as a national treasure.
 
The Cultural Heritage Administration said the structure is valuable as it shows the process by which pagodas in ancient times became simplified by the late Goryeo period.

The pagoda was built one-thousand-244 meters above sea level and is the highest pagoda in South Korea. 
 
Records show esteemed monk Jajang-yulsa enshrined relics of Sakyamuni Buddha in the pagoda during the Silla dynasty. However, the pagoda is thought to have been built during the late Goryeo period.