[Harumanbo Harucheonja] "Walking one and a half times around the Earth... Fell in love with walking trails"

Sonsungil, Leader of Korea Trail
Burned Out from Work... Resigned to Complete the Santiago Pilgrimage
Domestic Walking Trips Followed by Santiago Pilgrimage... Life Turning Point
Mostly Self-Funded Trail Creation and Maintenance... Feeling the Limits

"Since 2006, I have worn out more than 100 pairs of shoes. When I calculated the distance I have walked so far, it exceeded 60,000 km."

Son Seong-il, the captain of Korea Trail, has spent more than a third of his life living on the road. Deeply captivated by the charm of walking, he quit his stable job and set out on a journey on foot without any particular plan. While walking the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage route in Spain, he wished there was a similar path in Korea, so he pioneered trekking roads himself. Even now, he is engaged in maintaining the walking paths he created. On the 13th, we met him at Namsangol Hanok Village in Jung-gu, Seoul.

Captain Son is a walking travel expert who pioneered the long-distance walking travel course called "Korea Trail." The Samnam-gil, which stretches from Paju in Gyeonggi Province through Seoul, Chungcheong Province, and major cities in Jeolla Province to Haenam County in Jeollanam-do, where the southernmost village is located, was created by Son after personally walking various parts of the country. After several name changes, it is now called Korea Trail. The course development, which started in 2008, was completed only in 2018, taking more than 10 years. To create the course, he walked all over the country, carefully checking whether the paths were comfortable for walking, whether the surrounding natural environment could be fully appreciated, and whether safe walking travel was possible. Korea Trail, which passes through 29 local governments nationwide, consists of 52 detailed courses with a total length of 685 km. The distance he walked to pioneer the course alone is about 10,000 km. Son holds the trademark rights for Korea Trail, Samnam-gil, and Beautiful Walking Travel in both Korean and English. Korea Trail is currently a corporation, and Son serves as the executive director.

Son began serious walking travel in 2006. At that time, he was an ordinary sales employee who enjoyed hiking and walking. Due to repetitive heavy work, he experienced burnout and boldly resigned to pursue his long-held dream of completing the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage in Spain. Before embarking on the full pilgrimage, he first walked coastal paths in Korea. He wanted to experience the beautiful paths in Korea before walking abroad. Starting from Imjingang Station, which borders North Korea, he headed to Busan along the East Coast beach paths. Then, from Haenam’s southernmost village, he went up to Seoul along Honam-daero. The total distance he walked was 2,200 km. In 2007, he completed five courses of the Camino de Santiago, covering 1,800 km over three months. By shedding distractions on the pilgrimage and focusing only on walking and the surrounding natural environment, he was able to overcome burnout.

Son Seong-il, CEO of Korea Trail. Photo by Heo Young-han younghan@

His experience on the Camino de Santiago became the catalyst for pioneering Korea Trail. Each walking path harmonized with the natural environment, and there were thoughtful considerations for walkers, such as signposts installed here and there. At the moment of walking, he felt one with nature. Seeing beautiful nature everywhere, he wished Korea had such paths. After returning home, he immediately set out to connect paths across the country. Even now, the corporation he established is responsible for managing and maintaining Korea Trail. Whenever signposts are damaged, they are reinstalled, and if walking paths disappear due to urban development, routes are redesigned. Son emphasized the importance of maintenance, saying, "Creating a path is only 1%. If you think about the convenience of walkers, you have to maintain it for life."

His life cannot be told without "walking." What started as a simple desire to walk has now reached its 17th year, during which he has walked 60,000 km. This distance is enough to circle the Earth once and then some. He has worn out 100 pairs of shoes while walking. Although he kept the worn-out shoes as mementos, he disposed of some due to the large quantity. He even held his wedding on the road. He promised to spend his life together with his wife, who was a fellow path pioneer, on the paths they created.

Son’s daily walking exercise method is called "Imanseoman." This is a shortened form of "10,000 steps in the early morning, 10,000 steps in the evening." He wakes his body by walking 10,000 steps before going to work early in the morning and finishes the day by walking another 10,000 steps after work. Walking 20,000 steps a day is not easy, so he cannot do it every day, but he says his body feels refreshed after walking. Even if he cannot walk 20,000 steps a day, he strives to walk steadily every day.

Son is currently taking a short break. Due to the impact of COVID-19, traveling was restricted for a while. As countries around the world locked down, overseas walking path explorations were limited, and domestic travelers walking Korea Trail also decreased significantly. With the recent return to normal life, he plans to prepare for visitors to the trail. In October, he is preparing an event where the general public can participate in Korea Trail for about a month. In the long term, he is planning a project that combines walking and eco-friendliness, aiming to encourage people to reflect on the surrounding environment while walking the paths.