The Dongseo Trail has recently been featured by BBC as one of the world’s notable long-distance trekking routes. The article introduces the Trail’s coast-to-coast concept and highlights its scale, scenic diversity, and cultural significance. Below is an excerpt from the original feature.


5. Dongseo Trail, South Korea
Length: 849km / Duration: 55 days / Start: Anmyeondo Island / Finish: Uljin

Stretching 849km and inspired by Spain's famous Camino de Santiago, the Dongseo Trail will be South Korea's first coast-to-coast, cross-country trail when it fully opens in 2027. But six sections of the 55-stage route are already open to the public and more than 70% of the trail ─ roughly 600km ─ is complete, with completion of the remaining portions expected by year's end.

The ambitious trail was designed and managed by the Korea Forest Service and will take hikers across South Korea from the East Sea in the east ("dong" in Korean) to the Yellow Sea in the west ("seo") ─ hence, its name.

Travellers itching to set off now can tackle the Dongseo Trail's western portions, starting from Anmyeondo Island, where they can expect treks of about 15km per day. Along the way, the route follows the rugged and majestic Baekdu-Daegan Mountain Range, known as the backbone of the Korean Peninsula. The new path will take travellers to sandy beaches, dense forests, Unesco World Heritage sites, rice fields, farms, 225 villages, thousand-year-old Buddhist temples and accommodations in mountain communities.

Read the BBC feature on the Dongseo Trail