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Yangsan City recently completed parts of its Eoulrimgil trail as part of the \”Year to Visit Yangsan,\” but critics say the project hasn’t kept pace with the nationwide trekking and walking boom.
On May 5, our reporters hiked Course 10, which links Mulgeum and Wondong, and found no one using the decked path.
A local resident who helps maintain Imgyeongdae said, “You rarely see people enjoying the trails on weekends. Looking at the winding provincial roads they connected, it feels like they just patched things together.”
You can access Course 10 by driving on Local Route 1022 toward Wondong, but there are no informational signs around Imgyeongdae to explain the trail’s purpose or route.
“One gets the impression they built the path just to spend the budget,” another resident complained.
Course 10 runs from Huangsan Park’s Moi Cafe to Imgyeongdae. The decked section is 1.7 km (about 1.06 miles) long and was built with a budget of KRW 3 billion (approximately $2,250,000). It was the city’s first completed decked path.
The bigger issue is that the entire Eoulrimgil network is planned as 27 courses circling Yangsan’s city limits, but it lacks a coherent theme.
In 2023 the city drew up a master plan after a comprehensive study. Because linking the famed Eoulrimgil Ichon-ri—an 800 km (about 497 miles) route—would require massive funding, the city began with Course 10.
Even amid a nationwide walking craze, simply joining mountain trails with decked walkways may not be enough to attract visitors from across the country. Yangsan, which is home to well-known peaks such as Mt. Cheonseongsan, Mt. Yeongchuk, and Mt. Daewun, has focused on connecting trails and promoting rest and healing, but critics say it lacks concrete themes that would draw tourists.
By contrast, private-sector-led projects registered with the World Trail Network (WTN), like the Eurasia Sunrise Trail, were developed with clear themes and broader appeal.
Yangsan City has allocated an additional KRW 700 million (approximately $525,000) this year to install signage and build a trail guidance system, but it estimates that future costs could exceed KRW 10 billion (roughly $7,500,000).
A Yangsan City official said, “Course 10 is meaningful as the first walking route linking local attractions like Imgyeongdae and Yonghwasa. We’ll implement the project in phases, develop points of interest, and clarify the significance of each route. Our goal is to attract visitors from across the country.”
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