Daegwallyeong Forest Trail Branding... Korea Forest Service Says "Created to Rival Jeju Olle Trail"

Dongbu Regional Forest Service Chief Lee Sang-ik is briefing on the 'Daegwallyeong Forest Trail Development and Management Plan' at the Government Daejeon Complex on the 17th. Photo by Dongbu Regional Forest Service

[Asia Economy (Daejeon) Reporter Jeong Il-woong] The branding of Daegwallyeong forest trails is being promoted. The purpose of the branding is to highlight the ecological, historical, and cultural values of Daegwallyeong, improve its relatively undervalued image as a forest resource, and thereby establish Daegwallyeong as a representative forest tourism resource of the region.

Lee Sang-ik, head of the Eastern Regional Forest Service, announced the "Daegwallyeong Forest Trail Creation and Management Plan" with these details on the 17th at the Government Complex Daejeon.

The creation and management plan includes, first, the establishment of a foundation for Daegwallyeong forest trails by overlaying four themes on the previously individually managed trails, newly designating circular forest trails, and aiming for these circular trails to be designated as national forest trails by 2023.

The total forest trails in the Daegwallyeong area extend over 12 routes with a length of 103 km. Among these, the four newly designated sections cover 69 km, and the Eastern Regional Forest Service divides each section into ▲Ranch Section ▲Pine Section ▲Pigeon Section ▲Cloud Section.

Additionally, the trails will be readjusted so that visitors can complete them within a day or over 1 to 2 nights and 2 to 3 days.

Although Daegwallyeong forest trails hold excellent value as forest resources, their recognition is relatively low compared to other trails such as Jeju Olle Trail and Jirisan Dullegil.

Accordingly, the Eastern Regional Forest Service’s strategy is to naturally attract visitors by reflecting the recent characteristics and walking trends of forest trail visitors (based on the Korea Tourism Organization’s "2019 Walking Travel Survey" and others) into the field, aligning with the preferences of demanders.

The creation and management plan also includes systematic maintenance of Daegwallyeong forest trails, expansion of operational systems by specialized institutions, and the establishment of a safe hiking system.

For example, the Eastern Regional Forest Service will prioritize restoring severely damaged forest trails such as the Seonjaryeong section of the Baekdudaegan ridge trail within Daegwallyeong by next year. Then, considering the degree of damage and usage frequency, it plans to sequentially maintain an average of 14.0 km annually by 2024 according to priority.

Furthermore, the Eastern Regional Forest Service’s big picture is to ensure that the creation and management of Daegwallyeong forest trails lead to local job creation and increased income for residents, making the trails a medium for mutually beneficial development with the local community.

Lee Sang-ik, head of the Eastern Regional Forest Service, said, “We will do our utmost to implement the creation and management plan so that Daegwallyeong forest trails can welcome visitors with better infrastructure and a pleasant environment in the future. In particular, we will accelerate branding efforts to raise the relatively low recognition compared to other regional forest trails and establish Daegwallyeong forest trails as a representative forest tourism attraction of the region.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.