"Taxi Driver, First the Suspension Bridge, Next the Forest Experience" A Day Trip to Yeongju with Four People [Digging Travel]

⑥Gyeongbuk Yeongju Emerging as a Walking Travel Sanctuary with Tourist Taxis
1 Hour 40 Minutes from Seoul Cheongnyangni by KTX-Ieum
Day Trips Popular for Taste, Scenery, Healing, and Cost Savings with Tourist Taxis
Pet-Friendly Boarding Available for a 'Healing Trip' with Your Dangdangi

The 'taxi trip,' unfamiliar to the younger generation these days, was a typical form of honeymoon travel in the 1980s. In an era when private cars were almost nonexistent and rental cars were out of the question, taxis were the best option for traveling between distant tourist cities and attractions. Moreover, the friendly guidance of the taxi drivers who accompanied the couples, and the commemorative photos taken at popular honeymoon destinations of the time such as Bugok Hawaii, Gwangalli Beach, Jeju Yongduam, and Taejongdae, were all, it would not be an exaggeration to say, created by the hands of the taxi drivers.

The exterior view of Pyeongeun Station at Yeongjuho, relocated exactly from the area that was submerged.
[Photo by Travel Team]

Later, as private car ownership expanded and rental car systems became widespread, the forgotten taxi trips have recently resumed, focusing on distinctive domestic cities. Yeongju in Gyeongbuk, known as the hometown of scholars, is a city equipped with beautiful nature, historic heritage, and pleasant theme parks, but the distances between major tourist spots are far, and public transportation connections are difficult, making travel challenging without a private vehicle. However, with the opening of the KTX I-eum line connecting Seoul and Yeongju in 2021, it now takes only 1 hour and 40 minutes from Cheongnyangni to Yeongju, attracting the attention of travelers who prefer walking tours. Additionally, the recently introduced tourist taxi program by Yeongju City supports the city's leap into a tourist destination where visitors can simply pack a bag and enjoy their trip immediately upon arrival.

Yeongjuho Yongcheonru Suspension Bridge. [Photo by Travel Team]

Yeongjuho: A Stroll Filled with Memories by the Blue Lake, Suspension Bridge, and Old Train Station

As soon as I got off at Yeongju Station, the reserved tourist taxi greeted me. I thought about places I wouldn't have dared to visit without a taxi and decided on Yeongjuho as my destination. The riverside road stretching from Seocheon to Naeseongcheon winds beautifully, decorating the view outside the window like a painting. Upon arriving at Yongmaru 2 Park overlooking Yeongju Dam, which borders Yeongjuho, a walking trail offering a panoramic view of this scenery has been established. Yeongjuho was created by the flooding of some villages in Pyeongeun-myeon and Isan-myeon, but with the completion of Yeongju Dam in December 2016, the surrounding area was reborn as an ecological tourism site. Thanks to the walking trails and pleasant bicycle paths around Yeongjuho, the area has recently become a hotspot not only for walking tours but also for bicycle trips. The Yongcheonru Suspension Bridge crossing Yeongjuho and Pyeongeun Station, which connected the submerged villages and cities before flooding, offer a special space where visitors can experience both the thrill of nature and reminisce about old memories.

National Forest Healing Center view. Photo by Heeyoon Kim

Healing by Walking Through Forest Trails... National Forest Healing Center with Long-term Stay Options

Leaving the beautiful scenery behind, I told the driver my next destination: the National Forest Healing Center. Located in Bonghyeon-myeon, Yeongju City, and Hyoja-myeon, Yecheon County, the National Forest Healing Center is a forest retreat facility that helps travelers weary from busy city life find mental and physical peace. Healing begins the moment you enter the dense forest. At the Forest Healing Center, after measuring basic health status and consulting with experts, visitors can receive various customized forest healing services. Outdoor programs include walking along the healing forest trails to enjoy phytoncides, and at the Water Healing Center, water therapy can also be experienced. Additionally, diverse programs such as full-body massages using various equipment, yoga, and meditation are offered. There is also a training center for group tourists and a health promotion center for long-term stays to nurture and heal both body and mind.

Experiencing a net hammock on the healing forest trail at the National Forest Healing Center.
Photo by Kim Heeyoon

Though I longed to stay for a week and rest fully, I had planned a day trip, so I simply signed up for a forest experience and participated in forest trekking and forest hammock meditation programs. Walking along the healing forest trail guided by a forest healing instructor, I took in the fresh air deeply and relieved fatigue with simple exercises. Then, the instructor dropped a drop of aroma oil filled with forest scents onto my palm, massaged my fingers to stimulate metabolism, and after enjoying the forest atmosphere along the deck, when I finally lay down in the pine forest hammock at the end, I felt one with nature, temporarily setting aside the fatigue and worries of daily life to enjoy complete relaxation.

A view of the Hanji papermaking workshop at Seonbi Sesang, a K-culture theme park, where visitors can directly experience the Hanji manufacturing process.
Photo by Kim Heeyoon

K-Culture Theme Park Seonbi World: The Culmination of the Scholar Spirit that Sustained Joseon for 500 Years

The K-Culture Theme Park 'Seonbi World' is a new landmark recently created by Yeongju City. Located on a 969,700㎡ site near Seonbi Village in Cheonggu-ri, Sunheung-myeon, Seonbi World opened on September 3, 2022, and is composed of six themed villages: ▲Hanok (traditional Korean houses), ▲Hanbok (traditional Korean clothing), ▲Hansik (Korean cuisine), ▲Hanji (traditional Korean paper), ▲Hangeul (Korean alphabet), and ▲Han music. It is a meaningful space to explore the roots of the Korean cultural renaissance, all marked by the letter K. The six themes were developed with advice from the late Professor Lee O-ryeong. Visitors can experience the life and spirit of scholars, the beauty of traditional culture, and various contents combining cutting-edge technology all in one place.

A scene of dipping fibers into a mold for making hanji paper from a tub containing dakpul.
[Photo by Kim Heeyoon]

Among them, I personally participated in the most popular Hanji-making program. Holding a frame shaped like a bamboo screen (gimbal), I dipped it once into a tub filled with mulberry pulp, lifting the fibers that would become paper. After removing the frame and carefully peeling off the fibers stuck to the screen, drying them on a heated plate quickly completes the Hanji paper. Carrying the handmade Hanji, I moved to the adjacent table to write calligraphy and draw pictures, enjoying the scholar's pastime of composing poetry with a single brushstroke while appreciating the forest atmosphere. Next door, the experience of a traditional 60th birthday feast table and a first birthday table in a Hanok house continues to attract visitors eager to take commemorative photos.

A table set with liquor brewed from locally produced rice and red ginseng at Mansu Brewery, which also operates a program where visitors can experience the brewing process firsthand.
Photo by Kim Heeyoon

Mansu Brewery: A Makgeolli Brewery Embracing Culture, Only Found in Yeongju

Having immersed myself in nature and literature, now it was time for alcohol. Perhaps the greatest advantage of a taxi trip is that you can drink as much as you want without any burden. With a relaxed mind, I headed to Mansu Brewery, which produces premium local Makgeolli. Founded in 2010, Mansu Brewery uses locally produced rice and red ginseng to brew its liquor and offers hands-on experience programs. Currently, the founder's daughter, CEO Lee Bo-young, carries on the family business. Paying attention not only to making delicious liquor but also to enjoying it and appreciating the culture it brings, CEO Lee is developing Mansu Brewery into a special brewery. 'Yeongju Makgeolli,' hard to find in Seoul, is a unique gift only available in Yeongju.

Lee Boyoung, CEO of Mansuju Brewery, demonstrating the direct Makgeolli brewing process.
Photo by Gyeongbuk Rural Experience Tourism Oiso

CEO Lee described the brewery as "a place where liquor matures in carefully crafted barrels, and the garden of the brewery is filled with fragrance carried by the winds from Sobaeksan Mountain." Volunteering as a guide who reads the liquor, she supported her father’s challenge of starting a new business in his old age and now proudly presents healthy raw Makgeolli as the head of the brewery. She said, "To differentiate ourselves, we conducted education for customers who wanted to learn about liquor, wanting to show that the brewery is not just a factory making liquor but also a place to learn about it." Mansu Brewery, which has established itself as a space where visitors can indulge in both liquor and culture, operates the fermentation experience school ‘Ttwi-um’ and runs the traditional liquor cultural content ‘SULSUL SOLSOL,’ growing into a local attraction.

Ginseng liquor made by directly participating in the ginseng liquor making experience held at the Punggi Ginseng Center.
Photo by Kim Heeyoon

Ginseng is Best in Punggi: Punggi Ginseng and Red Ginseng Center, a Place with 1,500 Years of History and Health Foods

Having come all the way to Yeongju, you might suddenly feel you must buy ginseng even if you miss out on apples. Hastily, I rushed with the driver to the Punggi Ginseng and Red Ginseng Center. The center, where you can find various ginseng processed products including the 1,500-year-old Punggi ginseng all in one place, was much larger, more spacious, and more pleasant than I had imagined. Built in 2008 on a 6,477㎡ site, the center currently hosts 45 stores.

The Punggi Ginseng and Red Ginseng Center, built in 2008 on a 6,477㎡ site, boasts an overwhelming scale compared to nearby sales centers. Currently, 45 stores are in operation.
[Photo by Kim Heeyoon]

The ginseng scent filling the entrance stimulates the nose more than any perfume. A staff member hinted that this year’s ginseng harvest was abundant, causing prices to drop significantly, so I purchased four roots of ginseng and requested delivery by courier. In the center’s middle area, various experience events such as making ginseng wine and air fresheners using ginseng and red ginseng are held for visitors, so I highly recommend enjoying the deep flavors and aromas.

How to Use the Tourist Taxi

▲The KTX has played a major role in making day trips to Yeongju possible via taxi travel. Using the KTX I-eum train, it takes about 1 hour and 40 minutes from Seoul Cheongnyangni Station to Yeongju KTX Station.

▲Tourist taxis require reservations at least 5 days in advance via the 'Roiku app' or the Yeongju Tourist Taxi website for users registered outside the area.

▲Taxi fares are 40,000 KRW for a 4-hour course (with 40,000 KRW subsidy per taxi ride), and 120,000 KRW for a 6-hour course (with 60,000 KRW subsidy per taxi ride). An additional 20,000 KRW per extra hour is charged fully out-of-pocket. The maximum number of passengers is 4, and the fare is per taxi, not per passenger.

In other words, if a group of 4 chooses the current 80,000 KRW fare for 4 hours, the calculation is ‘80,000 KRW - 40,000 KRW ÷ 4 people,’ making it 10,000 KRW per person for 4 hours of Yeongju tourist taxi use. *Pets are also allowed on board, so traveling with your dog is possible.

▲From 2024, the KTX departure station will be extended from Cheongnyangni Station to Seoul Station. In line with this, Yeongju Tourist Taxi plans to operate an 8-hour course starting in 2024.