From Endpoint to New Beginning: Walking the Namdo Korea Dullegil
Creatrip Team
a month ago
At South Korea’s southern tip in Haenam, the Korea Dullegil (national long-distance trail) converges and restarts, marking about 4,500 km of coastal walking routes. Haenam is the terminus of the Namparang-gil (south coast trail) and the starting point of the Sehaerang-gil (west coast trail), offering unique scenery from blue seas and dramatic sunsets to UNESCO-listed tidal flats and red clay paths. Nearby Gangjin’s Dasan Chodang — the retreat of Joseon-era scholar Dasan Jeong Yak-yong — and the short forest path to Baengnyeonsa temple provide a reflective, tea-infused walking experience. The Dullegil network is shifting Korean tourism from landmark sightseeing to stay-and-walk, local K-tourism: hikers support local restaurants, guesthouses like Haenam126 Hotel, and off-season economies. The route is also central to the government’s ‘mega tourism zone’ plan to decentralize Seoul-centric travel. Walking these coastal paths offers restorative, ground-level travel and a symbolic “new start” at the nation’s edge.
