Nation's longest walking trail opens along west coast

Korea's longest walking trail, stretching 1,800 kilometers along the west coast, opened to the public Wednesday, the culture ministry said.

The Seohaerang Trail links an area near the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) bisecting the two Koreas in Ganghwa of Incheon to Haenam on the southern tip of the Korean Peninsula, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and its affiliated Korea Tourism Organization said in a release.

The Seoparang Trail consists of 109 paths featuring beautiful scenery, including tidal flats, shore pines and rural villages.

It is the third segment of the 4,500-km Korea Trail that stretches around the nation's entire coast and northern border towns after the 750-km Haeparang Trail opened along the east coast in 2016 and the 1,470-km Namparang Trail along the south coast in 2020.

The ministry has been pushing for the project since 2016 to help revitalize local economies by attracting more tourists to the areas the trail passes through. The project is set to for completion next year with the opening of the fourth segment, a 524-km path along the DMZ. (Yonhap)

Yeonggeumjeong, located along Haeparang Trail Course 45 in Sokcho / Courtesy of Korea Tourism Organization