[One Day Ten Thousand Steps] Competition Heats Up to Create 'Cities Good for Walking'

Active Local Government Efforts... Expecting an Influx of Tourists

This year, efforts by city-level local governments to create ‘walkable cities’ are actively underway. They aim to build pedestrian-friendly paths to promote citizens' health while also expecting an influx of tourists.

Gyeongju City announced on the 15th that the ‘East Coast National Trail Development Project’ has been included as a new national budget project this year, which will connect the disconnected sections of the ‘Haeparang-gil’ trail. Haeparang-gil is a walking travel route stretching from Busan’s Oryukdo Sunrise Park to the Unification Observatory in Goseong, Gangwon Province. It links coastal paths, forest trails, and village roads along the East Coast, comprising a total of 50 courses spanning 750 km.

Although some sections of the Haeparang-gil in the Gyeongju area were previously disconnected, this project will enable its full opening by 2026. First, starting this month through 2026, Gyeongju City will invest 15 billion KRW to create two walking trail sections in Yangnam-myeon. The first section is an 820-meter stretch in the Suryum-ri area of Yangnam-myeon, from Jigyeong Port to Gwansung Pine Forest Beach. Along with the trail, a four-story observation deck with one underground floor and a parking lot will be constructed. The second section, where the trail will be developed, is a 250-meter path in the Eupcheon-ri area of Yangnam-myeon. Gyeongju City expects that once this project is completed, many tourists will visit to safely traverse the national trail and enjoy the coastal scenery via Haeparang-gil.

The Gohado Sea Deck in Mokpo City is also a notable walking tourist destination. With a total length of 1,818 meters, this site gained popularity as a top non-face-to-face tourist spot even during the COVID-19 pandemic. Visitors can get off the Mokpo Sea Cable Car and walk to the Gohado Observatory, then descend stairs to reach the coastal deck. The experience of walking over the sea, admiring the Mokpo Bridge, and capturing memories at the Yi Sun-sin photo zone and Yongmeori photo zone are key attractions.

This year, Mokpo City plans to accelerate the creation of walkable environments by establishing loess barefoot trails at Udalsan, Samhakdo, Yang-eulsan Forest Bathing Area, and Ipamsan. They will enhance convenience by installing auxiliary facilities such as foot washing stations, drinking fountains, shoe lockers, and resting benches along the barefoot loess paths.

Uijeongbu City is also actively advancing sidewalk maintenance projects this year to create a city where people want to walk. The core strategy is to continuously remove unnecessary and excessive facilities and install new ones only where absolutely needed. In particular, they plan to dismantle ‘road stakes’ that obstruct pedestrians and reduce the number of poles embedded in sidewalks, such as traffic lights, street lamps, and utility poles, by integrating them. When constructing new sidewalks, a minimum width of 1.5 meters, the management standard, will be applied to ensure comfortable walking paths.

To minimize pedestrian inconvenience, overlapping construction within sidewalks will be prevented. Additionally, unless there is a special reason, sidewalks that are still in good condition will not be replaced prematurely, adhering to the 10-year lifespan of sidewalk blocks.