Seoraksan Goseong District Opens Its "Forbidden Gate" After 50 Years... First Official Trail Finally Approved

Goseong Residents to Hike Ulsan Rock Too
New Malgup Falls Trail
Expected to Promote Balanced Development in the Seorak Region

The long-cherished wish of Goseong County residents for the first official trail in the Goseong area of Seoraksan National Park has finally been realized.

Exterior view of Goseong County Office. Photo provided by Goseong County.

Goseong County in Gangwon Province announced that, following the public notice (No. 2026-43) issued by the Ministry of Climate and Energy and Environment on February 9 regarding the "Amendment to the Seoraksan National Park Plan," a new official trail will be established in the area around Malgup Falls in Wonam-ri, Toseong-myeon.

The newly established trail will cover the section from "Malgup Falls to Misiryeong Valley." It will have a total length of 4.3 km, consisting of 1.2 km within the national park and 3.1 km outside the national park boundary.

Since the Seoraksan area was designated as a national park in 1970, Goseong County has been the only one among the four local governments within the Seoraksan National Park area (Sokcho City, Inje County, Yangyang County, and Goseong County) without an official trail, for more than 50 years. The Goseong area, which accounts for about 5.1% (20.401 square kilometers) of the total area of Seoraksan, has been subject to access restrictions. As a result, there have been repeated calls for institutional improvement, as visitors were sometimes unintentionally caught committing violations.

In particular, "Ulsan Rock," located on the administrative boundary between Toseong-myeon in Goseong County and Seorak-dong in Sokcho City, is Scenic Site No. 100 designated by the state and a representative landmark symbolizing Seoraksan National Park. Nevertheless, access from the Goseong side has been constantly restricted, raising issues of fairness between regions.

With the opening of this new official trail, year-round access to Ulsan Rock will be secured, and it is expected that visitors will be provided with a safer and more pleasant environment for movement.

To address these issues, local residents have held their own hiking events every year, steadily promoting the beautiful natural scenery of Malgup Falls and the need for its designation as an official trail.

Based on the aspirations of residents, Goseong County launched a feasibility study and the establishment of a basic plan in 2020 for the creation of an official trail, and has since maintained close consultations with relevant institutions, including the Ministry of Environment and Korea National Park Service.

Goseong County expects that a total budget of 5 billion won will be invested in opening the trail. Of this amount, it estimates that 2.5 billion won will be required specifically for creating the official trail within the national park area. The county plans to continue close consultations and sustained efforts with relevant institutions, such as the Ministry of Environment and Korea National Park Service, to secure project funding going forward.

Starting in 2026, Goseong County will concentrate its administrative capacity on securing new project funds. After securing the budget, it plans to commence full-scale design work and then gradually install essential facilities to ensure a safe and pleasant hiking environment, including basic infrastructure such as parking lots and restrooms, as well as decks, handrails, stairs, and small bridges.

Goseong County expects that the opening of this trail will disperse visitor traffic within Seoraksan, foster commercial districts around the trailheads and termini and in surrounding areas, and revitalize the local economy, thereby serving as a new turning point for shared growth and balanced development in the broader Seorak region.

Ham Myung-jun, Governor of Goseong County, stated, "This public notice is a meaningful achievement that fulfills the long-held aspirations of county residents and marks an important step toward balanced development in the Seorak region," adding, "We will prioritize nature conservation and visitor safety and proceed without a hitch so that the Malgup Falls trail can establish itself as a new attraction of Seoraksan."

National Assembly member Lee Yang-soo said, "The fact that Goseong County alone had no official trail within Seoraksan National Park was an issue that had to be resolved from the standpoint of fairness between regions," and added, "The establishment of this trail is expected to both resolve the long-standing wish of Goseong County residents and greatly contribute to revitalizing tourism and restoring the local economy throughout the Seorak region. I will actively support the project so that it can proceed smoothly in the future."

An official from Goseong County said, "We would like to express our sincere gratitude to the National Assembly member representing the district, the relevant public officials of Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province, and the officials of the Ministry of Environment, Korea National Park Service, and the Seoraksan National Park Office for their significant assistance and support in making it possible to establish this official trail in Seoraksan National Park." The official added, "We are also grateful to the Toseong Prosperity Association and the residents of Toseong-myeon for their dedicated efforts, and we will continue working so that a top-class national park trail can be created and maintained here in Korea."

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