Located close to Mt. Kumgang, a world famous mountain, Lagoon Samil covers 0.79 square kilometers and is the deepest of the lagoons in Korea.

Its name derived from a folktale that in time immemorial a king went there to enjoy a day but he found so fantastic scenery that he spent three days there.

Lagoon Samil looks like a picture as 36 big and small peaks tower around it like a folding screen, it is full of clean water and has several islets.

Graceful pavilions and strange rocks on the islets add to the scenic beauty of the lagoon.

On the shore northwest of the lagoon there are a beach, lawn, spring called Mongchon, etc. and on the shore east of the lagoon a bamboo field, providing good places for recreation.

The lagoon teems with a lot of fishes including carp, silver carp and ice fish.

It is associated with the erasable traces left by the three commanders of Mt. Paektu who made sure that the picturesque area was turned into a recreation ground for the working people.