'Walking Across the Country' Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism Announces 'Walking Travel Week' Until the 9th of Next Month

Proclamation of Walking Travel Week, National Expedition Team Begins Walking Travel
Operation of Private Platforms, Certification Events, and Plogging Campaigns

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced on the 26th that, together with the Korea Tourism Organization, it will hold the ‘2023 Walking Travel Week’ centered on the Korea Dullegil until June 9 to establish walking travel as a representative regional tourism content.

'2023 Walking Travel Week' poster. [Photo by Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism]

The Korea Dullegil is a long-distance walking trail stretching 4,544 km, continuously connecting the edges of the Korean Peninsula including the east, west, and south coasts and the DMZ. It consists of the Haeparang Trail on the East Coast (Goseong to Busan), the Nampalang Trail on the South Coast (Busan to Haenam), the Seohaerang Trail on the West Coast (Haenam to Ganghwa), and the DMZ Peace Trail (Ganghwa to Goseong, scheduled to open in September 2023).

This travel week will hold various events in cooperation with local governments, private walking travel organizations, and private outdoor platforms such as ‘Trangle’ and ‘Rambler’ to activate over 500 walking travel routes nationwide, making it easy for the public to participate in walking travel.

First, on the 26th, a proclamation ceremony for ‘Walking Travel Week’ and a launch ceremony for the National Expedition Team will be held at Oryukdo Sunrise Park in Nam-gu, Busan, the starting point of the Nampalang Trail and the end point of the Haeparang Trail. The National Expedition Team, recruited through a prior public contest, will embark on a 5-night, 6-day walking trip experiencing historical sites along each course of the Nampalang Trail and the atmosphere of modern and contemporary Korean literature.

Through this trip, the National Expedition Team will inspect tourism resources and safety conditions near the Korea Dullegil, including the Nampalang Trail, and propose various ideas to further develop walking travel into a more attractive tourism resource.

To expand participation in ‘Walking Travel Week,’ events in collaboration with private platforms such as ‘Trangle,’ ‘Challengers,’ and ‘Rambler’ will also be held. By using related apps to walk and travel anywhere on the Korea Dullegil and verifying it, participants can enter a draw to win various prizes such as gift certificates. Detailed information can be found on the Korea Dullegil platform ‘Durunubi’ or related private apps.

Additionally, to establish walking travel as a low-carbon, eco-friendly tourism, the Korea Central Volunteer Center will launch the ‘Korea Dullegil Plogging Campaign.’ Those wishing to participate can apply from June 5 through the Durunubi platform or the 1365 Volunteer Portal event banner. Applicants can pick up trash and enjoy walking travel on major courses of the Korea Dullegil.

The Korea Dullegil Rest Areas, which provide local walking travel programs and regional festival information to travelers visiting the Dullegil, will also be operated. These rest areas serve not only as places for travelers to rest but also as regional hubs for walking travel offering tourism programs utilizing local tourism resources. During Walking Travel Week, each rest area will provide information on over 500 walking trails managed by local governments, including local walking travel programs and regional festival information to travelers visiting the Korea Dullegil.

Park Jong-taek, Director of Tourism Policy at the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said, “We have prepared various events such as the National Expedition Team and plogging so that our citizens can enjoy walking travel comfortably and safely during this Walking Travel Week,” adding, “We hope that walking travel will be further activated through certification events and local walking programs, leading to revitalization of the local economy.”

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