The Namhansanseong Old Trail was once a part of Bonghwa-ro, one of the ten major roads of the late Joseon period, and was also one of the main routes connecting Seoul with other provinces. The trail was created by connecting some sections of Bonghwa-ro with various historical and cultural resources. During the Joseon Dynasty, this road was used by kings when they visited the Nyeongneung Royal Tomb in Yeoju, by peddlers carrying their products to neighboring markets, and by classical scholars from other regions who traveled to Seoul to take the state examination. As such, the Namhansanseong Old Trail contains many stories from the past. While walking along the characteristic roads of the North, South, East, and West, hikers may think of their ancestors and their spirit, and enjoy a relaxing flight from their busy daily life.

Background to and Significance of the Establishment of Namhansanseong Old Trail

• Enhancement of quality of life → Increased focus on reflection and introspection and a desire for wellbeing.
• Development-oriented tourism policy → Tourism policy that utilizes the local cultural landscapes as they are.
• Simple consumption-type mass tourism → Value-oriented tourism that combines experience and education programs.
• Due to changes in social trends, walking trails are widely appreciated as a major tourism product.
• Opening of the Jeju Olle Trail in 2007 / “Walking” ranked first among the public’s preferred sport and leisure activities in 2015 / Revitalization of the local economy.
• There were 590 trails and 1,639 trail courses around the country as of December 2016.
• “Walking” ranked first among the public’s preferred sports activities from 2014 to 2015.
• Walking tours contribute to revitalizing the local economy (according to a survey by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in June 2017).
• There are also side effects behind the walking craze.
• As there is no integrated organization that manages the trails in the country, many trails have different names yet follow the same route.
• Most of the criteria for establishing the routes are based on natural landscapes.
• There is a lack of presentation of differentiated characteristics among the various trails.

Significance of the Establishment of the Namhansanseong Old Trail

• The trail passes through three localities – Hanam City, Seongnam City, and Gwangju City.
  • There is potential for conducting joint business projects across a wide area in the future.
• As the trail has been created based on geography books and ancient maps, it has a historic nature.
  • Compared to other trails, the Namhansanseong Old Trail pursues differentiation and historicalness.

Potential Contents of the Namhansanseong Old Trail

• The road was used by Joseon’s kings to visit the royal tombs of their ancestors.
• The road was used by King Injo and the crown prince when they left the capital for Samjeondo (present-day Samjeon-dong, Seoul) during the Qing invasion of Joseon (1636-1637).
• The road was used by classical scholars from the Gyeongsang region to travel to Seoul to take the state examination.
• The road was used by peddlers carrying their products to neighboring markets at important points.

Utilization of the Namhansanseong Old Trail

• Use of the Namhansanseong Old Trail → Establishment of a trail with modern significance.
• The most common and efficient way to use the old trail is to create a modern trail that has preserved historicalness.
• If a section of the old trail was lost in modern times, an alternative route should be established

Principles of the Establishment of the Trail

• Principle 1: Follow the original route as much as possible.
• Principle 2: When establishing an alternative road, minimize the distance from the original route.
• Principle 3: Connect the alternative route with neighboring cultural heritages and story resources.