SeohaerangTrail, which connects Haenam-gun County, Jeollanam-do Province, to Ganghwa-gun County of Incheon, was opened on June 22. The photo shows the part of the trail in Yeonggwang-gun County, Jeollanam-do. (Yeonggwang-gun County Office)

Seohaerang Trail, which connects Haenam-gun County, Jeollanam-do Province, to Ganghwa-gun County of Incheon, was opened on June 22. The photo shows the part of the trail in Yeonggwang-gun County, Jeollanam-do. (Yeonggwang-gun County Office)

 

By Lee Jihae

Seohaerang Trail, which spans 1,800 km and connects Haenam-gun County, Jeollanam-do Province, to Ganghwa-gun County of Incheon, was opened on June 22.

The trail connects 109 smaller paths of 31 primary local governments. Literally meaning “a path along the western sea,” the name “Seohaerang Trail” was chosen in 2019 through a contest.

Seohaerang Trail is part of the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Sports’ project Korea Dulle-gil Trail, which connects the edges of the Korean Peninsula. Haeparang Trail (comprising 50 smaller paths spanning a length of 750 km) was opened in 2016 along the East Sea and Namparang Trail (90 paths covering 1,470 km) in 2020 along the southern coast.

Seohaerang-gil preserves the western coast’s characteristic of large differences in tides. The trail differs depending on the ebb and flow of tides in a section of Sinan-gun County, Jeollanam-do Province, another in Seocheon-gun County, Chungcheongnam-do Province, and two in Boryeong-gun County in Chungcheongnam-do.

Information on walking Seohaerang-gil’s 109 paths is available on the Durunubi website (www.durunubi.kr) run by the Korea Tourism Organization based on GPS and a related app.

jihlee08@korea.kr