Seoul Dulle Gil Stage 4: Daemosan, Yangjae Citizens Park, Seoul Arts Center
Why Hike This Section
Section 4 of the Seoul Dulle Gil manages to wind through a lot of wooded area south of the Han River, known as the “Gangnam Greenway”. You can almost pretend you aren’t in the city anymore. The first hill in this stage is Daemosan Mountain, where you’ll encounter stone towers and distant urban views of Seoul’s Gangnam district. You will also pass an un-assuming but quite historical mineral spring in which people have been filling water jugs for hundreds of years. The spring is believed to have healing powers due to the minerals that occur naturally in the mountain water, so fill up!
Section 4 also winds through densely-forested Yangjae Citizens Forest; with over 70 different types of trees and beautiful landscaping. Throughout the park are sobering memorials commemorating tragic events and heroic people in Korean’s modern history: Korean Airlines Flight 007 shot down by the Soviets in 1983, the Sampoong Department store collapse in 1995 (which killed over 500 people and injured nearly 1,000), and the Baekma (white horse) Guerrilla corps, a rag-tag group of 2,600 young men who played a significant resistance role during the Korean war. On the opposite end of the park is a memorial hall dedicated to patriot Yun-Bong Gil, a Korean independence activist during the years of Japanese occupation. The hall tells the story of Yun-Bong Gil and the independence movement through photos and relics. Entrance is free. Tons of tragic history for one small beautiful park!
There are also two small temples in section 4 to add a little more zen to your day: Bulkuksa (not to be confused with THE Bulkuksa Temple in Gyeongju) and Daeseongsa.
Level of Difficulty and Type of Terrain
Stage 4 involves rolling hills, some quite steep but nothing too lengthy. The trails through wooded areas are a mix of dirt, straw mat, stairs and boardwalk. We half-ran, half-walked most of section 4.
Miles and Hours
The total course for Section 4 is about 11 miles (18 km) and can be completed in 4 to 6 hours, depending on your pace and whether or not you hike down to explore the Seoul Arts Center. We enjoyed this extensive complex showcasing traditional Korean music, calligraphy, and other arts. Worth a side-trip, in my opinion.
