The winding mountain pass has long inspired poems and songs, including Ju Hyun-mi's 'Misiryeong'
A forgotten old love of a road, now rediscovered through nine scenic stops
From Yongso Valley and Baekdamsa to Birch Forest and Ulsanbawi Rock
![Ulsanbawi Rock as seen from Misiryeong Pass [Photo by Jang So-ra]](https://wimg.heraldcorp.com/news/cms/2026/06/29/news-p.v1.20260629.9c94ea30d0d749b9884308cd854e3ed6_P1.jpg)
Misiryeong is a mountain pass linking the eastern and western flanks of northern Gangwon Province along the Baekdudaegan ridge.
The road winds through curve after curve, and from the summit the East Sea stretches into the distance while the dense forest releases a healthy dose of phytoncide. The pass's natural beauty and the wealth of scenic and cultural destinations along its route have made it a recurring subject in poetry and song — a pass that lingers in the memory like a first love, even in middle age.
"Walking the nostalgic old road of Misiryeong, treading on the evening glow / I run toward that place far away where the waves are calling me." So goes singer Ju Hyun-mi's "Misiryeong," perhaps the most celebrated tribute to the pass.
The Misiryeong Healing Nine Scenic Spots are: Gongjaksan and Sutasa Temple in Hongcheon-gun, known as a sanctuary for fresh mountain air; Garisan Leisure Sports Park in Hongcheon-gun; Yongso Valley in Hongcheon-gun; the Birch Forest of Wondae-ri in Inje-gun; Hapgangjong Pavilion and a bungee-jump site in Inje-gun; the Soyang River trail in Inje-gun; Sibi Seonnyeotang Valley in Inje-gun; Baekdamsa Temple in Inje-gun, associated with the poet Han Yong-un and his work "Nim's Silence"; and Ulsanbawi Rock on the Sokcho–Goseong-gun border, a granite formation said to have set out from Ulsan to join the Diamond Mountains at a deity's summons but never arrived.
Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province, the four cities and counties along the Misiryeong Healing Road — Sokcho, Hongcheon-gun, Inje-gun and Goseong-gun — and the Gangwon Tourism Foundation are teaming up with navigation app Tmap to run a marketing campaign promoting the Misiryeong Healing Road and its nine scenic spots from Monday through Aug. 13.
The campaign will post content introducing the Misiryeong Healing Road and major tourist attractions in the four neighboring cities and counties within Tmap's themed-course section, supported by a range of advertisements.
The Misiryeong Healing Road will be featured through an intro pop-up that appears when the Tmap app launches, as well as on the app's exit screen, search-bar banner and search-results banner. Tapping any of those banners will take users directly to the Tmap themed course, making tourism information more accessible.
Users from outside Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province who arrive at a designated tourist site via Tmap navigation will receive a coupon worth 10,000 won (about $6), limited to one per person.
The pop-up coupons will be randomly displayed and issued to visitors at the following attractions: Sutasa Temple, Garisan Leisure Sports Park, Yongso Valley, the Birch Forest of Wondae-ri, Baekdamsa Temple, Hapgangjong Pavilion, the Inje Smart Complex Rest Area, Cheongcho Lake, Yeongrang Lake, the Seorak Cable Car, Sokcho Beach, the Unification Observatory, Wanggok Village, Songjiho Lake and Songjiho Observation Tower, and Cheongganjong Pavilion, one of the eight scenic spots of Gwandong.
Alongside this, a special event tied to Kumho Seorak Resort in Sokcho will run during the campaign period. Tourists who visit the resort while the Tmap advertisements are active will receive a buy-one-get-one park golf benefit, encouraging visitors to combine a trip along the Misiryeong Healing Road with a visit to local tourism facilities.
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