Mukho Nongoldam-gil
[헤럴드경제=함영훈 기자] At the time, I thought it was just a part of my daily life, but in hindsight, I realized how happy I was at that moment, and a small piece of memory burrows into my heart, makes my heart swell, and in the end, I often end up with a sore nose.
After putting seawater and live fish in a bucket and going up the hill of Nongoldam and selling them to the residents of Daltongnae, and making stewed fish for my children with the rest, we sat on the windy hill of Mukho Lighthouse at sunset and the family just talked about anything, laughed and chatted. That moment. These are times of overwhelming happiness that I want to go back to. Even though the baby was sleeping soundly, he was so excited that he hurried up the hill, and the water in the bucket containing the live fish was always overflowing.
The Korea Tourism Organization recommended small-town travel to the public to recall or reinterpret familiar daily life. This is the fourth theme of ‘Travel Nowadays’, a trendy recommendation.
The recommended theme for November is ‘small city travel’, which introduces ways to enjoy cities with a small population but still retain their unique local stories and texture of life from a new perspective. This form of travel, which emphasizes individuality over scale and depth over speed, is spreading in a variety of ways by modernizing local resources.
It is characterized by the fact that alleys with traces of the past, old markets, and spaces that connect the texture of traditional culture are newly discovered by travelers and revived by combining with art, experience, and digital technology. In this way, small-town travel is attracting attention as a form of sustainable tourism that revives stories of the region’s past with present-day sensibilities and discovers new meaning in familiar daily life.
The content recommended by the Korea Tourism Organization (Acting President Seo Young-chung) for small-town travel is ▷ Small-scale local experience trip ‘Namhae’s maternal family’ (Namhae, Gyeongnam) ▷ Mukho, a port small town trip to enjoy while walking (Donghae, Gangwon) ▷ Winding road where time slows down, Slow City Daeheung (Yesan, Chungcheongnam-do) ▷ ‘Goheung Stay’, a place where the sea and the scent of citron linger (Goheung, Jeollanam-do) ▷’Slowly, deeply’ This is 2 days and 1 night spent in Changpyeong, Damyang (Damyang, Jeollanam-do).
The vivid experiences and detailed information of the five writers who have experienced the content presented through ‘These Days Travel’ can be found in the Nowadays Travel theme pavilion on the Every Corner of Korea website.
Dojebigol Sky Valley next to Donghae Mukho Nongoldam-gil
▶Mukho, a small port town tour to enjoy while walking
The Mukho Port area in Donghae-si, Gangwon-do is a small-town travel destination that can be reached in 2 hours and 30 minutes by KTX from Seoul. All the attractions are within a 30-minute walk, making it possible to enjoy a meaningful trip without a car. Donghae DMO runs ‘Ttubuk, do you want to go to Ramen Mukho?’ Let’s participate in the program. This tour involves walking through Mukho Alley and eating ramen while looking at the sea at the end. It is divided into an individual photo tour and a guided group tour.
Individual tours begin by receiving a stamp book from a prop shop that sells Mukho scent diffusers or a local bookstore. Afterwards, see over 3,000 types of pencils at Korea’s first ‘Pencil Museum’ and view the Mukho area from the 4th floor cafe.
After passing the old downtown Balhan Samgeori, ‘East Sea Central Market’, and youth mall ‘Sing Sings’, you will come across Mukho’s signature ‘Nongoldam-gil’ mural village. If you climb the alley containing the history of Mukho, including the phrase ‘I can’t live without boots,’ you can see the Mukho Lighthouse. ‘Sambon Apartment’, where the famous line “Would you like to eat ramen?” from the movie ‘One Gone Spring Day’ was born, is also a must-see. The tour ends at ‘Culture Factory Deokjang’ by boiling and eating ramen with randomly provided seafood toppings such as octopus and mukhotae fluff.
In addition, there is ‘Dojaebigol Sky Valley’ where you can enjoy the thrill of Mukho. The Skywalk and Sky Cycle at 59m above sea level are popular. ‘Haerang Observatory’ across the street is a walking path above the sea. As for food, the chewy octopus sweet and sour pork and octopus jjamppong from ‘Geodong Tangsuyuk’ and the thick long-kalguksu from the well-established ‘Ottogi Kalguksu’ are specialties.
While we’re on the East Sea, let’s also visit the winter seas of Mangsang, Handsome, Gamchu, and Chuam, and the mini Jangagye Beteulbawi Rock in Mureung Valley.
Namhae’s maternal grandmother’s house
▶’Namhae Maternal House’, which feels like returning to the hometown of childhood.
Namhae, Gyeongsangnam-do, where famous attractions boasting an exotic atmosphere such as German Village and American Village and local cultural heritage such as Geumsan Boriam and Daraengi Village coexist. As of August 2025, the population is 39,832, and as it is the only county seat among the cities in Hallyeohaesang National Park, it is a place where you can spend a quiet and peaceful time, so even today, many travelers do not hesitate to travel long distances to visit Namhae.
‘Namhae Maternal House’, operated by the Namhae Tourism and Cultural Foundation, is a small-scale local experience travel content that allows you to experience the small town of Namhae in detail. The name was created with the hope that whenever you visit Namhae, you can rest comfortably in the warmth and comfort you feel at home. You can have a special time in Namhae by participating in programs planned and conducted by local people in a simple everyday space and communicating with them.
Namhae Maternal House currently operates three programs. These are the ‘Namhae Sister’s Drawing Urban Sketching Experience’ conducted by drawing artist Ahn Seol-byeol, the ‘Uncle Tyra’s Maternal House Pottery One-Day Class’ conducted at the pottery workshop and cafe ‘Tira and Mudkkupnori’, and the ‘Uncle Gwangsu’s Eco-Friendly Blackberry Experience’ conducted at a GAP certified farmhouse in Bonghwa Village, Samdong-myeon. Each program deeply reflects the unique personalities and sensibilities of potters, painters, and farmers active in every corner of the South Sea. The Namhae Maternal House program can be reserved and purchased through the ‘Namhae Loon’ Naver Smart Store.
‘Daraengi Village’ is a great place to travel together. Darangi refers to the rice terraces created by our ancestors in the past when they were poor, by cutting a steep mountainside near the sea and building stone walls to expand their farmland. About 700 rice terraces ranging in size from 3 pyeong to 300 pyeong form a whopping 108 floors of stairs. It would be a good idea to walk along ‘Daraengjiget-gil (Namhaebarae-gil Course 11)’ while looking at this outstanding scenery.
Yesan Yedangho Monorail
▶Slow City Daeheung, a winding road in Yesan where time slows down
Memories of childhood, such as playing catch and playing with rubber bands, remain intact on Goseutgil, which uses Bongsusan Mountain in Daeheung-myeon, Yesan-gun as a folding screen. A place where you can walk through rice paddies, run your fingertips through rice sheaves, and trace hundreds of years of history under old trees. Instead of content that stimulates ‘dopamine’ every three seconds, the slow, peaceful village scenery may be the real ‘vitamin’ of this fall. Let’s go for a small-town budget that will offer unexpected charm without a big budget.
The first destination is Daeheung ‘Uijeun Brothers Village’ in Yesan. Yesan Daeheung is the sixth city in Korea and the first in the central region to be designated as a slow city. Hwiyeongcheong This is the place where the real-life characters of the story of brothers Lee Seong-man and Lee Soon lived, who met each other while secretly giving each other rice sheaves on a moonlit autumn night, hugged each other, and cried.
The best way to enjoy the slow city of Daeheung-myeon is to walk along the slow winding roads. Starting from the visitor center, the history, traditional culture, and natural environment of this place are fully contained, including the old story road, slow road, and love road. Course 1, the old story road, is filled with the story of good brothers and the ‘Pearman Tree’, a zelkova tree that is over 1,000 years old, and course 2, the slow road, is a winding road along a forest path along a waterway to Daeheung Dongheon, the only remaining old government building in Yesan County, the Snail Museum, and Daeheunghyanggyo. On course 3, Sarang-gil, you can see the charming village scenery of Gyochon-ri, harmonized with the foot of Bongsusan Mountain.
The three principles of Daeheung Slow City were as follows. ‘Let’s preserve the natural environment, pass on traditional culture to the next generation, and conduct a business where residents are the owners.’ One example is ‘Palm Garden’. If you find a snail sculpture, you can go in and look at it as if it were your front yard. Palm gardens are small gardens that villagers cultivate in their yards. The stone walls and trees that we built and planted ourselves are a haven for the village cats.
Goheung Citron Festival
▶Goheung Stay, a place where the sea and the scent of citron stay
‘Living in Two Regions Weekend Love Goheung Love Goheung Stay’, run by Goheung-gun, Jeollanam-do, is a stay-type program that allows residents of other regions to stay in Goheung and experience local travel and culture. A total of 12 households will participate, and housing expenses, including lodging and communal facility fees, will be supported. The space where participants will stay for three months is a residential facility in Goheung-eup, remodeled from an old KEPCO company house, and is fully equipped with home appliances and furniture to ensure comfortable living.
About a 10-minute walk from Goheung Stay is the Goheung Traditional Market with 110 years of history. Charcoal grilled fish is famous nationwide. After touring the market, you can tour attractions that preserve the history and culture of Goheung, such as the 840-year-old Namgye-ri Zelkova tree, Okhari Hongyo Bridge built in 1871, and Jonsimdang History and Culture Park.
There are currently 5 participants living in Goheung Stay, and one participant said, “Goheung is good because you can fully enjoy cultural life without being too complicated.” Staying in Goheung is a special break where you can feel the sea and the scent of citron and seep into the local daily life.
The ‘5th Goheung Citron Festival’ will be held in Handong-ri, Pungyang-myeon from November 6th to 9th. As it is the largest producer of citron in Korea, ‘the scent of people! A large citron sculpture and a photo zone will be prepared under the theme of ‘Citron heaven!’, and a luminary show and drone show will be held at night.
Samjinae Village with a stream flowing along the wall
▶’Slowly, deeply’ 2 days and 1 night spent in Damyang and Changpyeong
As space changes, the pace of life naturally changes. On a day when I need a pat on the back that says, ‘It’s okay to be slow,’ I head to Samjinae Village in Damyang and Changpyeong. This village, called Samjinae or Samjicheon because three streams run through the village, is famous as Asia’s first slow city. The overpass and earthen wall come together to create a quiet atmosphere, and the old wall made of stones and dirt has been designated as a nationally registered cultural heritage. As you walk along the wall, you come across a variety of landscapes, including buildings designated as national heritage such as Go Jae-hwan’s house and Go Jae-seon’s house, ordinary houses, hanoks that double as cafes and bed and breakfasts, and lonely old houses that have lost their owners.
Behind the Changpyeong-myeon office, which was built as a Hanok, there is a small yard with a two-story Hanok. The proper way to travel to Samjinae Village is to take a leisurely stroll along the streets of the village and stay leisurely in lodgings run by local residents or cafes and restaurants in renovated hanoks. Delicious local foods such as Changpyeong Gukbap, Changpyeong Rice Taffy, Hangwa (Korean traditional sweets), and coal liquor will enrich your trip.
For travelers who want to stay overnight, there are a variety of lodging facilities run by local residents, from 100-year-old old houses to small bed and breakfasts. In addition, there are various cultural experience programs such as making sake bread and humanities classes, so it is worth experiencing. This is why many people return as if visiting a relative’s house.
In Damyang, there are Juknokwon and Gwanbangjerim, which were selected as one of the top 100 Korean tourism sites for 2025-2026. At Juknokwon, which embraces a refreshing bamboo forest, you can enjoy a bamboo forest bath along the trail, and also enjoy a foot bath experience or sound walking tour.
Across the river is Gwanbangjerim, a natural monument. It is an artificial forest created to prevent flood damage, and various trees such as pujo, hackberry, and cherry trees have survived for hundreds of years.
Vice Minister Seong Yi-seong from Bonghwa, who was confirmed to be ‘Lee Doryeong’ Lee Mong-ryong, was appointed and led the flood prevention embankment construction. He changed Chunhyang’s last name to his own to preserve memories from his youth, but at the same time, he seems to have attempted to ‘wash his history’. [취재도음=한국관광공사]