Sokcho City’s Seorak-dong Reconstruction Project on Track... 40% Progress in Seoraksan Cultural Facilities Remodeling

Interior Remodeling to Be Completed by April Next Year,
Complex Cultural Center Construction to Begin, with Completion Expected in August
From Seorakhyanggiro Trail to the Soon-to-Be-Completed Complex Cultural Center...
High Hopes for Seorak-dong’s Revival

The Seorak-dong Reconstruction Project, which Sokcho City in Gangwon Province is promoting to revitalize the stagnant Seorak-dong area, is progressing smoothly.

Regarding the Seorak-dong Reconstruction Project (Seorakhyanggiro). Provided by Sokcho City

According to Sokcho City on September 29, as of September 28, the building remodeling work for the Seorak Hot Spring Village Tourism Hub Project (the Seoraksan Cultural Facilities Complex Cultural Center Construction Project), which is the final stage of the Seorak-dong Reconstruction Project, has reached 40% completion.

This project involves renovating the long-neglected Seoraksan cultural facilities (formerly the Red Ginseng Experience Center) at the gateway to Seoraksan and transforming them into a complex cultural center. Although work began in December last year, full-scale construction has been underway since March, after the winter season.

This project, which involves a complete remodeling of the old building with one basement floor, four above-ground floors, and a total area of 4,693 square meters, is scheduled for completion in April next year.

Once the building remodeling is finished, the construction of the interior complex cultural center space will begin. An additional project budget of 1.8 billion won, including 900 million won from the provincial government, has been secured, and the goal is to complete it by August.

The complex cultural center will include a multipurpose hall, rest areas, arcade-style community spaces for residents, learning spaces, shared offices, and a workation center.

Sokcho City expects that the Seorak-dong Reconstruction Project will greatly contribute to revitalizing the stagnant Seorak-dong area.

The Seorak-dong Reconstruction Project, with a total budget of 26.4 billion won, began in 2020 and targets the Seorak-dong B and C districts.

This project, which aims to create tourism infrastructure utilizing the unique natural scenery and resources of Seorak-dong, includes the ongoing Seorak Hot Spring Village Tourism Hub, construction of new restrooms at the B District parking lot, creation of the Ssangcheon Trail (skywalk and suspension bridge), creation of two small parks, and improvement of promotional signage.

Among these, the small park projects were completed in April 2022 and June last year, respectively, and the new restroom construction at the B District parking lot was finished in September last year.

The small parks, featuring natural grass, have been created to host various outdoor performances and events, exhibitions, and flea markets, including busking.

The newly built restrooms, inspired by Seoraksan, provide a pleasant and convenient environment for tourists.

One of the core elements of the reconstruction project, the Ssangcheon Trail, was completed in July last year and opened to the public.

The Ssangcheon Trail, named "Seorakhyanggiro," features a skywalk up to 8 meters high and 765 meters long, and a 98-meter suspension bridge 15 meters above the riverbed, both newly constructed and connected to the existing trail, forming a total circular trail of 2.7 kilometers. Landscape lighting and firefly lights have been installed to offer diverse attractions to visitors.

Aerial view of Seoraksan cultural facilities. Provided by Sokcho City

Seorakhyanggiro has emerged as a new tourist attraction in the Seorak-dong area, with 106,000 visitors during the autumn foliage season in October and November last year, and a cumulative total of 368,000 visitors as of last month since its opening.

It is analyzed that the various facilities, such as the skywalk, suspension bridge, and nighttime landscape lighting, centered around the all-season trail, are driving tourism demand.

In particular, the unique attractions provided after sunset, such as the landscape and firefly lighting, have become very popular among tourists.

Seoraksan, which enjoyed great popularity in the 1980s and 1990s as the nation's top tourist destination and the center of group tours such as school trips, has been in a prolonged slump since the late 1990s due to changing travel patterns, including an increase in family trips, and has struggled to regain its former vitality.

In response, Sokcho City has been promoting various projects to revive the local economy, including the Seorak-dong Reconstruction Project, the creation of an art street, and the development of an emotional tourism complex.

The Seorak-dong Art Street project completed its first phase in November 2023. The project involves painting the exterior walls of abandoned buildings with works by contemporary artists, decorating photo walls that hide derelict buildings with signature sculptures, and transforming the buildings through color schemes or recycling abandoned items as installation art, depending on the building’s intended use.

This project is particularly meaningful as it began with artists who came to live for a month because they loved Seoraksan, and, upon witnessing the dilapidated state of Seorak-dong, engaged in voluntary activities or collaborated with the city’s projects out of a sense of compassion.

Lee Byeongseon, Mayor of Sokcho City, said, "We will continue to pursue projects to build tourism infrastructure that can not only successfully complete the Seorak-dong Reconstruction Project but also revitalize Seorak-dong and boost the local economy."

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