Major Initiatives to Make Pyeonghwa Nuri-gil a Landmark in Gyeonggi Province
Filling the Trail with Stories: Developing Content on History, Culture, and Tourism
Creating Stories for Pyeonghwa Nuri-gil Based on History, Folklore, and Origins
Gyeonggi Province is launching a full-scale project to elevate the 'DMZ Pyeonghwa Nuri-gil' to a world-class tourist destination. Starting this year, the province plans to enhance brand awareness through multifaceted promotional policies, including the development of storytelling trails and the expansion of domestic and international famtours.
On the 14th, Gyeonggi Province announced the main promotion plan for the 2025 landmark designation of Pyeonghwa Nuri-gil and stated that implementation will begin this month.
'DMZ Pyeonghwa Nuri-gil' is a walking trail consisting of 12 courses spanning approximately 189 km, connecting border areas such as Gimpo, Goyang, Paju, and Yeoncheon. It is a peace-themed tourist destination embracing the northernmost nature and history of South Korea.
The province plans to develop stories based on the history, folklore, and origins of the regions along the Pyeonghwa Nuri-gil courses in four areas: Gimpo, Yeoncheon, Paju, and Goyang, and utilize them as tourism content.
The developed stories will be organized into three themes: history and culture, ecological nature, and tourist courses. In particular, unique names and stories will be assigned to locations, such as the 'Korean War Trail' featuring the Yeoncheon columnar joints and Geumgulsan battle, and the 'Joseon Trail' centered on Deokpojin in Gimpo.
Regarding tourist courses, the province plans to add stories to three tourist courses around Pyeonghwa Nuri-gil selected last year. The three courses are: ▲ Gimpo City Course 1, connecting Daemyeong Port, local restaurants (dining, cafes), and Deokpojin, a military strategic point during the Joseon Dynasty ▲ Paju City Courses 6 and 7, connecting Odusan Unification Observatory, where visitors can directly experience the reality of division, and Heyri Art Village ▲ Yeoncheon County Course 10, connecting Jangnamgyo Bridge, Horogoru (an ancient Goguryeo fortress), Samicheon Bridge, and Nogok-ri rest area.
The province is developing stories through the Gyeonggi Tourism Organization and plans to install story signboards and disseminate information to visitors through guides starting this fall, beginning with locations where story development is completed.
They also plan to expand domestic and international promotional policies such as the second famtour (invited promotional trip) to raise awareness of Pyeonghwa Nuri-gil.
The province intends to operate a walking program on Pyeonghwa Nuri-gil from June, inviting about 40 people per session, including journalists, outstanding members of the Pyeonghwa Nuri-gil cafe, students, or recruiting interested residents, for a total of eight sessions. The program will include Pyeonghwa Nuri experiences as well as food experiences using local specialties.
In addition to producing and distributing guide maps for the 12 courses of Pyeonghwa Nuri-gil, they are considering adding items such as handkerchiefs and water bottle holders to the current three types of Pyeonghwa Nuri-gil goods: badges, bags, and hats. Following the Pyeonghwa Nuri-gil Eoullim Center in Yeoncheon, they plan to install additional goods vending machines at Imjingak in Paju to increase promotion and product sales.
Furthermore, to attract new foreign tourists, they plan to produce and distribute multilingual promotional videos and maps in English, Chinese, Japanese, Spanish, and other languages.
Park Mi-jeong, head of the DMZ Policy Division of Gyeonggi Province, said, "We plan to develop various programs such as walking events so that many tourists can stay longer on Pyeonghwa Nuri-gil," adding, "We will promote diverse projects with selection and concentration by course to make Pyeonghwa Nuri-gil a world-renowned attraction."
Meanwhile, more detailed information about Pyeonghwa Nuri-gil can be found on the Gyeonggi Tourism Organization website or the 'Gyeonggi-do Pyeonghwa Nuri-gil' Daum cafe.
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