[One Day Walk] 'Yeoncheon Course 9' Exploring Paleolithic History

Jangnamgyo to Sungujeonji, 17km Section
Estimated Time: 5 Hours 20 Minutes... Difficulty: 'Medium'

The Gyeonggi Dullegil ‘Yeoncheon Course 9’ is a 17 km section that starts from Jangnamgyo Bridge, passes through Jangnam-myeon Administrative Welfare Center, Yeoncheon Hakgok-ri Dolmen, and ends at Sungujeonji. The estimated time required is 5 hours and 20 minutes, and the difficulty level is ‘medium’.

The starting stamp features a drawing of the ‘Jeongok-ri Hand Axe.’ The Jeongok-ri Hand Axe, discovered in 1978 along the Hantan River, rewrote the theory that such hand axes did not exist in East Asia outside of Caucasian settlements. As a result, the Yeoncheon Jeongok-ri site became a world-renowned early Paleolithic cultural heritage site.

After finishing the Paju section of the Gyeonggi Dullegil and crossing Jangnamgyo Bridge, you walk along the northern section of the Imjin River. You begin your walk with anticipation, wondering how the Imjin River here differs from what you saw on the existing Gyeonggi Dullegil. After starting, you move away from the Imjin River briefly but can walk along dirt paths with the scent of soil through rice paddies and fields. The boundary between Wondang-ri in Jangnam-myeon and Jeondong-ri in Baekhak-myeon is Semulmeori, where two streams flow into the Imjin River. Be sure to cross the stepping stones placed over the stream.

Walking along the long embankment path, the Yeoncheon Hakgok-ri Dolmen welcomes travelers. This dolmen is classified as a representative tomb of the Bronze Age. It was designated as a Gyeonggi Province Monument in 1996. In Yeoncheon, various Paleolithic artifacts exist around the Imjin and Hantan Rivers.

A little further from the dolmen, you will encounter the Yeoncheon Hakgok-ri Stone Chamber Tomb. The stone mound tomb independently formed on the midstream sand dunes of the Imjin River shows the early Baekje period’s multi-chamber stone mound tomb. It is a place where you can enjoy the fun of unraveling ancient history through a single stone tomb and stone.

After leaving Hakgok-ri, you come across another embankment path, which leads into a forest trail at its end. At the end of the forest trail is Sungujeon. Sungujeon is also depicted on the arrival stamp of ‘Yeoncheon Course 9.’ Located in Misan-myeon, Yeoncheon-gun, Sungujeon is a shrine that enshrined the spirit tablets of seven kings, including King Taejo of Goryeo, during the Joseon Dynasty. It was built as a traditional rite to preserve the spirit tablets and royal tombs of the previous dynasty’s kings after founding a new dynasty.