New Life on Lands of Loss: Historic Jangdong Sites Become Tourist Trails and Wellness Hubs
Creatrip Team
a month ago
Once places of disappearance and industrial decline in Gangwon Province—Cheongnyeongpo (the exile site of King Danjong), the old coal roads known as Untan Godo, and shuttered mine towns—are seeing renewed vitality. Cheongnyeongpo, long associated with the tragic young king Danjong, draws steady visitors who cross the river by boat to visit the pine forests and exile sites made famous again by film. The 173 km Untan Godo trail (named for its 1330 m high point) repurposes former coal transport roads into an ecological trekking route linking Yeongwol, Jeongseon, Taebaek and Samcheok. Along shorter sections near High1 Resort, features such as Dorongi Pond (a sinkhole pond where salamanders breed) and the 1177 Mine entrance—with a miner statue—preserve miners’ memories. Gohōn’s old coal market (Gugongtan Market) has reinvented itself with mining-themed murals, underground-gang-style market design, and charcoal-grilled street food that echoes miners’ late-night meals. High1 Resort has expanded into a year-round leisure hub and is investing heavily (about 7.5 billion KRW) in a new 800 m elevation infinity pool, blending panoramic Baekdudaegan mountain views with spa comforts. The article frames this revival as an ironic regeneration: landscapes once defined by loss and silence now attract visitors through layered history, memorial atmosphere, nature trekking and new hospitality projects, offering both cultural remembrance and economic recovery.
