This photo provided by the Haenam County Office shows a forest path of Mount Dalma, part of the Namparang Trail, in southwestern South Korea.
SEOUL, Oct. 31 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s longest walking trail linking the southeastern port city of Busan with the southwestern county of Haenam via the scenic southern coast was opened to the public Saturday.
The new footpath, named the Namparang (south wave) Trail, runs 1,470 kilometers from Oryukdo Sunrise Park in Busan, 453 km southeast of Seoul, to Ttangkkeut (land’s end) Village in Haenam, 423 km south of the capital.
The Namparang Trail consists of 90 courses featuring beautiful coastal paths, including those of the Hallyeohaesang and Dadohaesang national parks, forests, villages and downtown areas.
The Namparang Trail is the second segment of the 4,500-km Korea Trail that stretches around the nation’s entire coast after the Haeparang Trail, which opened in 2016 on a 770-km route spanning from the Unification Observatory in Goseong, an east coast county near the border with North Korea, to Busan.
The opening ceremony of the Namparang Trail was held in Ttangkkeut Village in Haenam, South Jeolla Province, under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Sports and the Korea Tourism Organization, with the number of participants minimized due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Following the ceremony, officials, local residents and tourists walked together to Ttangkkeut Tower, one of the trail’s 90 courses.
This photo provided by the Korean Trails and Culture Foundation shows Oryukdo Sunrise Park in Busan, the starting point of Namparang Trail.
According to Haenam officials, the county is home to three Namparang Trail courses stretching 46 km — a coastal walkway and two forest paths leading to Ttangkkeut Tower.
One of the forest paths passes through Mount Dalma, which offers stunning views of the southernmost end of the Korean Peninsula, while Mihwangsa Temple, located on the mountain, offers temple stay programs for foreigners.
In Busan, five courses of the Namparang Trail traverse panoramic coasts, sea ports, forests and downtown areas of the nation’s second-largest city.
Namparang Trail also passes through all the other scenic southern coasts and ports, including those in Gangjin, Goheung, Suncheon and Yeosu of South Jeolla Province and Namhae, Tongyeong, Geoje and Changwon of South Gyeongsang Province.
(Yonhap)
