Visitors walking along Saryeoni Forest Trail. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
JEJU, May 31 (Korea Bizwire) — Jeju Island’s renowned Saryeoni Forest Trail, long celebrated as a premier ecotourism destination, has been officially designated a symbol of friendship between South Korea and the Arab world, the provincial government announced Thursday.
The designation ceremony, held during the opening of the 17th Saryeoni Forest Eco-Healing Experience, coincided with the 2025 Jeju Forum and featured the attendance of 10 Arab ambassadors to South Korea, senior Korean diplomats, and cultural representatives including Kim Chang-mo, Secretary-General of the Korea-Arab Society, and Deputy Foreign Minister Jung Byung-won.
In partnership with the Korea-Arab Society, Jeju Province formally named the site the “Trail of Friendship” (친선의 길), highlighting its new role as a symbol of sustainable cooperation between Korea and Arab nations. The path has also been given the nickname “AKH” — short for Arab-Korea Harmony — a play on the Arabic word for “brother.”
With over 800,000 annual visitors, the Saryeoni Trail, part of the seventh section of the Hallasan Dulle-gil trail network, has garnered national recognition since being named one of Korea’s most beautiful forest walks in 2017. It now serves not only as a healing space but also as a diplomatic landmark.
The forest diplomacy event invited dignitaries to walk the trail together, reinforcing environmental values and mutual cultural respect. Jeju Governor Oh Young-hun met with the delegation of Arab ambassadors a day earlier at the Jeju International Convention Center to explore expanded cooperation in tourism, environment, forestry, and youth exchanges.
During the meeting, Governor Oh highlighted shared cultural elements — such as similarities between Jeju’s haenyeo (women divers) and traditional pearl diving practices in the Arab world — and expressed hopes that the ceremony would serve as a stepping stone for deeper ties between Jeju and Arab local governments.
UAE Ambassador Abdullah Al Nuaimi welcomed the initiative, stating that the trail’s new designation would “further solidify ties between Jeju and the Arab world,” and praised Jeju’s commitment to sustainable and eco-friendly development as a meaningful example for Arab nations.
The Arab ambassadors also voiced interest in broader cultural, tourism, and environmental cooperation, including improvements to Jeju’s nighttime tourism infrastructure, signaling the potential for lasting collaboration beyond symbolic gestures.
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
