Best walking course Seongjigok Park The 'Healthy Road’

There are about 21 esplanades in Busan City running by mountains, sea, lakes and the city. The walks pass by cliffs, wind through mountains and offer outstanding views. And Busan’s Galmaet-gil Footpaths are some of the very best.

These roads not only have fantastic scenery, they have an abundance of anion and phytoncide in the air, making it even healthier to go for a walk there.

Among the Galmaet-gil Footpaths, the one running by Seongjigok Park (catchment area) ? the former source of drinking water for Busan’s citizens ? and the Mt. Baikyang therapeutic walk are particularly rich in anion and phytoncide.

Recently, I stepped into the entrance of Seongjigok Park. It was colorful as always. The park is full of beautiful flowers in different colors. Perhaps that is why the faces of everyone here are just so bright. The giggles of the children tickled my ears. Nice sunshine and a delicious breeze ? the weekend was bright and shining. All the roads of the park were a parade of deep green color.

Seongjigok Park, located on the slope of Mt. Baikyang in Choeup-dong, Busanjin District, also has outstanding scenery, with Japan cedar trees and Japanese cypress. It is beloved by Busan locals as a park full of trees within the city. It is designated Busan City’s local cultural asset No. 32.

I stepped onto a path flanked by big and tall Japan cedars. Love and life is shared in equal measure among the people who walk here. There are always so many baby carriers here, as parents yearn to share the life of the woods with their offspring.

Soon the forest was stretching out before me and the green leaves of the alder trees were shining brightly beneath the sun. The birds chirped and tree branches brushed against each other in the wind. As I stepped deeper in the woods, a sudden stillness surrounded me. The tranquil walkway continued on its distant path.

Soon afterward I came across a water spring, where I gulped down a glass of cool spring water. It felt like nature was pouring into me, and I was becoming part of it. The sound of the stream grew suddenly, and I could even hear pebbles spilling downward. My ears suddenly lit up.

Seongjigok Park is known as the best esplanade in the city, making it a big draw for visitors.

Stroll along the footpaths and feel the real Busan

Stroll along the footpaths and feel the real Busan
A walk through Busan’s  scenery

In Korea, spring is a great season to go for a walk. All of Busan is ablaze in flowers, and a beautiful spring scent permeates the air.

Within Busan, Galmaet-gil footpaths are especially famous spots for its spring ambience and are perfect for a scenic stroll. Comprising 21 courses, Galmaet-gil is the collective name for the footpaths connecting Busan’s most beautiful shores, forests and parts of the city.

The word Galmaet-gil is a hybrid of galmaegi or seagull, the representative bird of Busan, and gil, which means road. When combined, the word Galmaet-gil means “blue city” or a city you’d like to walk in, which is just the kind of place Busan is looking to become. Here is introduction to the best Galmaet-gil footpaths in Busan.


Haeundae Three Fishing Villages Walk  ( 8.4 kilometers, 3 hours )
Mipo, Cheongsapo and Gudeokpo are collectively known as the Haeundae sampo (meaning “three harbors”). The Three Fishing Villages Walk (Sampogil) takes you along the shore of those three harbors, following a trip around Dongbaek Island, the setting for the legend of Choi Chi-won.

After passing by Dongbaek Island, Haeundae Beach and the Donghae-Nambu line, the walk continues through the entrance of Dalmaji Road. After passing by the Moontan Road parking lot and walking for another 500 meters, on the right hand side you will see Haeundae Beach, Dongbaek Island and even Gwangan Bridge in a single glance. In front of the Korea Art Center stands a sign marking the entrance of Moontan Road, a 2.2 kilometer course taking in Mipo, a pavilion, an observatory and Eulmadang. The straight course from the forked lane of the trail leads to the Cheongsapo trail, and walking for another kilometer will take you all the way to the rock observatory.



From here, you can see not just Songjeong Beach, but right up to the front of Yonggungsa Temple. Keep going through the underpass at the Nambu Railway and you’ll come to Gudeokpo, from where the road leads directly to Songjeong Beach.

▷ How to get there: To get to the entrance of Dongbaek Island take metro line No. 2 to Dongbaek Station or bus No. 31 or 139. If you prefer to start from Gudeokpo, take bus No. 100, 100-1, 139, 1003 or 1006.


Gwangalli~Igidae~Jaseongdaegil ( 23.1kilometers, 8 hours )


This course starts from Gwangalli Beach, passes by Igidae and ends at Jaseongdae. It will take you past the city from Gwangalli Beach to Namcheon-dong, and from Yongho-dong onward, the course follows the shore. From the Igidae seaside pedestrian walk you can enjoy views of Gwangan Bridge, Dongbaek Island and Haeundae. From Seungdumal, you can see the Oryuk Islets, and from Sinseondae you can see up to Bukhang (North Port), Jodo and even Yeongdo. The course then passes by UN Memorial Cemetery, Pusan University of Foreign Studies, Seongji High School and finally Jaseongdae, which takes you on a road back to downtown through Jang Pass and Munhyun Rotary.

▷ How to get there: To get to the starting point on Gwangalli Beach, take metro line No. 2 to Gwangan Station and walk or take bus No. 41 or 83. The end of the trail, Jaseongdae, is near Beomil Station on line No. 1 and there are numerous buses.

Suyeong River~Oncheoncheon Street ( 15.5 kilometers, 4 hours )
The Suyeong River Oncheoncheon Street course starts from the Dongdae Bridge at Hoedong-dong. The course begins on a neat and clean road before passing through the wonderfully clean air of the citizens’ park under Dongcheon Bridge. Cross Sewol Bridge, go through the underpass, and in front of the Centum City Shinsegae Department Store you’ll come to the APEC Naru Park, a riverside park created to celebrate the APEC Summit Talks in 2005.

Cross Suyeong Bridge No.1 over the Suyeong River and walk downstream toward Wondong Bridge. From the bridge you will walk toward the Oncheoncheon pedestrian walk, which continues all the way to Dusil Station. Since the course passes by Busan National University of Education Station, Dongnae Station and Myeongnyun Station, you can hop on the metro at various spots along the way.

▷ How to get there: To walk the Suyeong River Oncheoncheon Street, it is best to start from Hoedong-dong. Bus No. 42, 99 or 179 will take you to the last stop of Geumjeong District Hoedong-dong. You can also easily get to Oncheoncheon from Busan National University of Education Station or Dongnae Station on metro line No. 1.