This promotional image for the Dongseo Trail, set to open next year, shows its route across Korea. Courtesy of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs

The Dongseo (East-West) Trail, set to open to the public early next year, stretches across the country’s central region from Anmyeon Island in Taean County, South Chungcheong Province, to Mangyangjeong Pavilion in Uljin County, North Gyeongsang Province.

Spanning 849 kilometers, it is the country’s first coast-to-coast hiking route designed for long-distance backpacking, requiring weeks or even months to complete.

Experts at the 2026 Korea Trail Conference in Seoul, Wednesday, compared the trail to the Camino de Santiago in Spain, a global attraction for soul-searching trail hikers.

The Jeju Olle Trail, which circles Jeju Island, has already played a key role in boosting Korea’s global tourism appeal, maintaining steady popularity since its launch in 2007.

In addition to the Jeju Olle Trail and other hiking routes across the nation’s coastal and mountainous regions, the Dongseo Trail is highly anticipated to further empower the country’s tourism assets. Since 2023, investment has been directed to 225 townships across five cities and 21 counties.

“Outdoor manias worldwide are paying attention to K-trails now. Mountains and trails here in 2024 attracted over 885,000 foreign visitors, up from fewer than 49,000 in 2021,” Jeong Chul, a professor at Hanyang University's Department of Tourism, said during the conference hosted by the Hankook Ilbo, a sister company of The Korea Times.

Anticipation for the Dongseo Trail has been grwowing overseas as well. The New York Times in January included it in its "52 Places to Go in 2026," while the BBC in February introduced it as among the world’s five most anticipated hiking trails of 2026.

“They think the trail is already complete. It somehow proves how much the trail has already garnered global attentions. The buzz is nudging us to hurry with the preparation and do it well,” Kim Seong-hak, a research official at the National Institute of Forest Science, said during the conference.

Agriculture Minister Song Mi-ryung, front row second from left, inspects Dongseo Trail route in Hongseong County, South Chungcheong Province, Sunday. Courtesy of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs

Source: Korea Times News