Inje County’s DMZ Peace Trail selected as a Korea Dulle-gil highlight

【Financial News, Inje=Kim Gi-seop, reporter】The forest trail along Inje’s DMZ Peace Trail, steeped in the lives of slash-and-burn farmers and wild-ginseng gatherers, is being transformed into a two-day, one-night tourism package combining rural experiences, lodging and food.
On the 9th, Inje County said it had been selected in the preliminary call for proposals for the Korea Tourism Organization’s 2027 Korea Dulle-gil Highlight Section Revitalization Project, securing 150 million won in national funding. The county will add another 150 million won in county funds, bringing the total project budget to 300 million won, to run programs linking the DMZ Peace Trail with local tourism resources.
The project aims to select key sections of Korea Dulle-gil with outstanding scenery and tourism potential, add lodging, meals and experiences to walking trips, and encourage visitors to stay in the area and spend money. After receiving consulting from the Korea Tourism Organization to enhance the project plan, the county plans to refine its detailed plans and proceed with follow-up steps, including signing an agreement.
The project will be based on an approximately 6-km stretch of Course 30 of the DMZ Peace Trail, starting at the Daegok-ri checkpoint, passing through Sutgamagol and the former division commander’s retreat, and ending at Jeonggol. A key strength is that the forest trail is set apart from roads used by military vehicles, allowing visitors to fully enjoy the scenery around Hyangnobong, while the everyday culture left behind by slash-and-burn farmers, wild-ginseng gatherers and itinerant peddlers can be brought to life through storytelling.
The county is promoting the DMZ Farmtastic Tour, which combines rural experiences with the DMZ’s historical, peace-related and ecological resources. The name combines “farm,” referring to the countryside, with “fantastic.” The tour will comprise four programs tailored to the seasons: the DMZ Wellness Sound Walk, DMZ Summer Starlight Camping, DMZ Flower Trail Mood Tour and DMZ Farmtastic Harvest Trip.
The emphasis is on turning the walking event into local spending. A cooperative network involving farms, rural experience and recreation villages, lodging facilities, restaurants and tourism businesses will bring together DMZ forest meals served by local restaurants, agricultural product harvesting experiences and visits to tourist attractions. The county plans to run seasonal programs regularly in 2027, turn them into marketable packages and then expand them to cover all of Course 30 and adjacent sections, with the aim of developing a signature walking tour for Inje County.
Chae Jin-seok, Inje County’s planning and budget officer, said, “We will refine the program with residents and businesses so that a day spent walking the DMZ forest trail, harvesting at a farm and enjoying a forest meal at a local restaurant leads to a trip that includes an overnight stay.” He added, “We will build a structure in which residents’ incomes grow as tourists return and stay longer.”

[email protected] Kim Gi-seop Reporter