The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, together with the Korea Tourism Organization, will operate the '2025 First Half Walking Travel Week' from the 18th to May 2nd. Walking Travel Week was established to create a national atmosphere for walking travel and to develop walking travel routes, including the Korea Dullegil, as representative local tourism content.
The Korea Dullegil is a long-distance walking travel route that continuously connects the edges of the Korean Peninsula, including the east, west, and south coasts and the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). It consists of the Haeparang Trail (Goseong to Busan) on the east coast, the Nampalang Trail (Busan to Haenam) on the south coast, the Seohaerang Trail (Haenam to Ganghwa) on the west coast, and the DMZ Peace Trail (Ganghwa to Goseong), with a total length of approximately 4,500 km.
The 'First Half Walking Travel Week Proclamation Ceremony' will be held on the 18th at the Oryukdo Sunrise Park area in Busan. About 30 members of the Walking Expedition Team, selected through a prior contest, and about 300 walking enthusiasts from the Busan area will participate together to carry out various events to promote walking travel. After the proclamation ceremony, the Walking Expedition Team will visit beautiful natural landscapes and rural fishing villages along the blue sea road of the south coast and promote the diverse charms of our land through their respective social networking services (SNS).
The proclamation ceremony will also be attended by about 20 people who completed all 284 courses of the 4,500 km Korea Dullegil since its full opening in September last year (as of the end of March 2025, 45 completers). Completing the entire Korea Dullegil takes about 6 to 8 months, assuming a daily travel distance of 20 to 25 km. To commemorate the completers, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organization established the 'Korea Dullegil Hall of Fame' at the Haeparang Trail Tourist Information Center located at the starting point of the Korea Dullegil, Oryukdo Sunrise Park in Busan.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, local governments responsible for the Korea Dullegil, the Korea Sports Promotion Foundation, the National Health Insurance Service, Samsung Electronics, Kakao, Kolon Sports, and others are collaborating to promote walking travel among the public through joint events.
The Korea Sports Promotion Foundation will hold certification events where participants who complete at least one course of the Korea Dullegil can receive sports activity incentives (Ttuntun Money). The National Health Insurance Service will pilot a health lifestyle practice support fund program targeting citizens aged 20 to 65 who need health management. Samsung Electronics will conduct walking challenges and certification events through the Samsung Health app, Kakao will launch tourism products based on recommended Korea Dullegil courses (Kakao Makers), and Kolon Sports will offer discount coupons for course completion certification. The National Lighthouse Museum under the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries will hold linked events at major lighthouses nationwide. Detailed information about each event can be found on the 'Durunubi (app)' and 'website' or related private applications (apps).
Minister Yoon In-chon stated, "I hope many citizens will participate in the walking travel event, which is the first since the full opening of the Korea Dullegil." He added, "The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism will develop walking tourism resources so that citizens can slowly enjoy every corner of the Republic of Korea through walking travel, and will improve walking environments to make these resources convenient and safe to enjoy."
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