Changbai Mountain Protection and Development Zone started as a provincial Changbai Mountain Protection and Development Committee, on June 29, 2005, and then became the Changbai Mountains Protection and Development Zone in January of the following year to oversee the mountain's nature reserve and develop eco-tourism in line with the central government's unified planning, management, and development ideas.

It administers a 3,280-square–kilometer area in southeastern Jilin province, with three districts and a population of 151,000. It is rich in natural resources and has a good ecology and environment.

Its sustainable development approach in recent years has featured Korean culture and the mountain’s ecosystem. Thanks to this, it attracted 1.57 million tourists brining in revenues of 449.53 million, in 2013.