Monsters Reappeared in Cheonji Lake

Monsters appeared again in Cheonji Lake, the crater lake on Baekdu Mountain, the Chinese Xinhua news agency reported on July 14.

Around 9 on July 11, over 20 monsters emerged from the water, they stayed there for about 50 minutes and as many as 10 people saw the monsters, the state news agency reported.

The deputy chief of the forestry department of Jilin Province, who had witnessed the appearance of monsters, said, "The monsters revealed their head above the water five times for some 50 minutes. They did so for one to two minutes or sometimes for 20 to 30 minutes."

"The monsters were two to three kilometers away, so they looked like dots through a telescope of 50 magnifications. However, whenever they moved, theirs shadows on the mountain on the other side changes forms," he said.

"This is the first time that as many as 20 monsters appeared at a time in Cheonji Lake. Usually only one or two monsters would appear in summer," a researcher studying on Cheonji monsters said.

Along with the Loch Ness, Monsters in Cheonji Lake is regarded as one of the world’s mysteries. A lot of documents state that monsters appeared in Cheonji Lake, some of which date back to the early 20th century. And since the 1960s, people have continually reported that they spotted monsters. However, some people contend that the monsters are an optical illusion created by the shadows of the mountain or ripples on the lake.

Yoo-Sung Hwang yshwang@donga.com