'Songdang Masilgil' Completed to Connect 8 Oreums and 33km Gotjawals in Eastern Jeju

[Financial News Jeju = Reporter Jeong Yong-bok] A 33km-long ecological exploration network connecting oreums, Gotjawals, and villages in the eastern mid-mountain region of Jeju on foot has been completed. The trail links eight oreums in the Songdang-ri area of ​​Gujwa-eup, Jeju City, along with the Songdang Gotjawal and the natural and cultural resources of the villages, into three courses to allow for extended walking and experiences of Jeju's mid-mountain region.
According to Jeju Special Self-Governing Province on the 11th, the province completed the 'Eastern Region Oreum and Connected Hiking Trail Creation Project,' investing a total of 1 billion won from 2024 to the end of August this year.
The name of the new hiking trail is 'Songdang Masil-gil'. 'Masil' is a Jeju dialect word meaning a village outing.
The hiking trail consists of three courses: Cheonnyeon-ui Pungto-gil (13.45 km), Baekjutto Saemi-gil (10.2 km), and Socheonguk Durung-gil (8.9 km). The total length of the three courses is 32.55 km. The estimated time required is 435 minutes, or approximately 7 hours and 15 minutes.
Each path connects Songdang's nature, mythology, and lifestyle culture in different ways. The longest path, the Millennium Landscape Trail, is a 13.45 km course connecting Dangoreum, Songdang Village, Songdang Gotjawal, and Songdang Reservoir. It is designed to allow visitors to explore Songdang's oreums, Gotjawal, and village together in about 180 minutes.
The Baekjutto Saemi Trail is 10.2 km long and takes about 135 minutes to complete. Its name is derived from 'Baekjutto,' the guardian deity of Songdang Bonhyangdang, and 'Saemi,' a Jeju dialect word meaning spring. By connecting Dangoreum, Songdang Bonhyangdang, the area around Andol Oreum and Batdol Oreum, and the Baekjutto Couple Shrine Rest Area, the trail allows visitors to experience the mythology and nature of Songdang in a single course.

The Socheonguk Durung-gil is an 8.9 km course that takes approximately 120 minutes. It was named by combining 'Socheonguk,' the deity who presides over hunting and livestock farming, and 'Durung-gil,' which refers to a path along the edge of rice paddies. The trail is designed to allow visitors to explore the livestock farming and lifestyle culture as well as the natural environment of Songdang, passing by Dangoreum, Gwaengimoru, and grasslands.
While Songdang was strongly characterized as a tourist destination where visitors could visit the oreums individually, this project differs in that it connects the Gotjawal forests, villages, shrines, and living spaces located between the oreums into a single walking path.
In particular, opinions from local residents were received from the project design stage and reflected in the exploration routes and course composition. Rather than an approach where the administration determines the paths and presents them to the village, a structure was adopted in which residents participate in the process of connecting the region's natural and cultural resources.
A separate walking experience space has also been created. Near the Geoseunsemi Oreum Ecological Experience Center, a 370-meter-long volcanic scoria path has been prepared where visitors can walk barefoot on volcanic scoria under Japanese nutmeg trees. A 600-meter-long Jeju Batdam Path has also been created, allowing visitors to observe Jeju's unique field walls up close.
The Songdang Masilgil is significant in that it integrates the individual tourist resources of eastern Jeju into a single exploration system. By connecting volcanic cones such as Dangoreum, Andol Oreum, Batdol Oreum, and Geoseunsemi Oreum with Songdang Gotjawal, shrines, and village paths on foot, it has expanded the experience from viewing only natural scenery to allowing visitors to also experience the local lifestyle and culture.
Lim Hong-cheol, Director of the Environment and Forestry Resources Bureau of Jeju Province, said, "We have laid the foundation to enhance the value of Jeju's natural assets by connecting oreums, Gotjawals, and villages into one," adding, "We will continue to increase value by linking nature and ecotourism resources."


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