Tourists taking part in the Haeparang Trail Soundwalking program run by Ulsan's Dong-gu listen through headsets to sounds captured by directional microphones at a beach on Haeparang Trail Course 8 (left) and Daewangam Park (right). [Ulsan Dong-gu Office]
Tourists taking part in the Haeparang Trail Soundwalking program run by Ulsan's Dong-gu listen through headsets to sounds captured by directional microphones at a beach on Haeparang Trail Course 8 (left) and Daewangam Park (right). [Ulsan Dong-gu Office]

Ulsan's Dong-gu has launched a summer edition of its Haeparang Trail Soundwalking program, which lets participants stroll the coastal trail while listening to waves, wind and birds through directional microphones and headsets.

Dong-gu kicked off the summer program Saturday as part of the Korea Dulle-gil project, a national initiative linking the east, west and south coasts of the Korean Peninsula into a single trail network. The program will run every Saturday evening at 6 p.m. through August.

The summer edition is designed to help visitors escape the heat with a dusk walk along the coastal paths of Daewangam Park and Seuldo, taking in the scenery and sounds of the shoreline.

The Haeparang Trail Soundwalking program is a hearing-focused ecological experience. Participants walk a section of Haeparang Trail Course 8 — a 12.5-kilometer stretch running from Yeompo-dong in Ulsan's Buk-gu to Ilsan-dong in Dong-gu — and engage their senses with the area's marine, ecological and lifestyle cultural resources.

Alongside the Saturday evening soundwalking tours, Dong-gu has set up the Haeparang Trail Ilsan Beach Gym at Ilsan Beach, where visitors can enjoy outdoor exercise during the day. Together, the two programs give residents and tourists something to do from morning to night throughout the summer holiday season.

The district expects the programs to boost extended-stay tourism by connecting key attractions — including Ilsan Beach, Daewangam Park and Seuldo — and to help stimulate the local economy.

Interested participants can check schedules and make reservations through the Ulsan Dong-gu Haeparang Trail Tour website.

A Dong-gu official said the district had prepared a range of extended-stay content — from swimming and exercise to ecological experiences — and expressed hope that many people would visit.


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