Everybody has a special destination. Gangneung is one such place for me. When I visit often, I feel like excitement and comfort when I go to Gangneung because it's like a half-travel and half-daily space. Even on a spring day, I visited Gangneung. However, this spring focused on excitement rather than comfort, as all things are revived and spring of hope and dreams. Look forward to a trip to find new places in Gangneung!

When heading to Gangneung, I headed to the downtown instead of the first beach I came up with. This is because the destination of Wolhwa Street, which became Gangneung 'Hot Place' these days. Wolhwa Street is a cultural and park facility built on the site of an abandoned railroad that passed through downtown Gangneung.

When the KTX Gyeonggang Line opened, the underground railroad between Gangneung and the city center became underground, leaving the old railroad tracks as idle. Gangneung City has turned this space into a park where trains no longer run. In other words, the land used to play is transformed into a land where people play while resting.

One Saturday in the springtime, the early spring aura was evident. It was a good day to walk around Wolhwa Street. Wolhwa Street is a total of 2.6km from Gangneung Station to Gangnam-dong Buheung Village. It is an easy walking course for all ages. You can start at Gangneung Station, so it's great for ‘tuk-bok’ travelers. In addition, there are public parking lots near Ganghwa Station, such as Gangneung Station Parking Lot and Namdaecheon Dunchi Parking Lot, making it convenient for car travelers.

Wolhwa Street consists of the section of Horse Sharing Park, Healing Forest Road, Imdang Square, History and Culture Square, Observatory, Wolhwa Bridge, Wolhwajeong, Wolhwa Forest Road, and Noam Tunnel. There is a signboard of Wolhwa Street at the entrance of Malnaumteo Park, the gateway to Wolhwa Street. Wolhwa Street is based on the love story of Hwarang Muwolrang and Mrs. Yeonhwa of Gangneung in Gyeongju, Silla era, and it will look a little different even if you walk by knowing that they named the streets after each other.

It is a healing forest path after passing the Horse Sharing Park. The point of this course with trees is the calligraphy sculpture. You will encounter warm words on the promenade, such as ‘It ’s hard?’, ‘Todak Todak’, ‘Cheer for you’, ‘Do you eat and eat?’ On both sides of the street, houses filled with traces of time stand shoulder to shoulder. It is a space that comforts people who are tired of everyday life with analog scenery and a word. It is a relatively quiet area, so it is good to enjoy a leisurely stroll.

As you walk a little further, you will see a container-shaped building. Wolhwa Poongmul Market. There are two buildings in Wolhwa Pungmul Market with roads in between. One is Wolhwa Folk Market in Imdang and the other is Wolhwa Folk Market in Geumhak. It is a place that connects the existing market of Imdang and Geumhak. Small shops are stuck in a neat interior. It ranges from shops selling local food such as potato rice cake, tadpole noodles, buckwheat pancakes, and buckwheat pancakes to shops selling coffee, sandwiches and hot dogs. There are also many shops that sit and eat in a stool, taking advantage of the old market atmosphere.

One point not to miss when looking around Wolhwa Folk Market. Do not overlook only indoors. Watch the murals that decorate the exterior of the market building. On the exterior of the Wolhwa Folk Market in Limdang, there is a mural of Muwolrang and Ms. Yeonhwa, the symbols of Wolhwa Street, and on the side of Geumhak Wolhwa Folk Market, there is a mural of Gangneung-gwanno Masked Drama during the Gangneung Danoje, a UNESCO humane intangible cultural heritage. It captures the old story with a modern picture.

The section from Geumhak Wolhwa Poongmul Market to Wolhwa Bridge is the busiest course on Wolhwa Street. The course meets Gangneung Jungang and Seongnam markets, the representative traditional markets of Gangneung, and is crowded with locals and travelers.

Facilities and shops such as Wolhwa Street Tourist Information Center are gathered in this section. Compared to the section that led to Imdang Wolhwa Poongmul Market, it is booming and bustling.

You may stop at Gangneung Jungang and Seongnam markets for a while before going to Wolhwagyo. From Wolhwa Street, it leads directly to the market. Gangneung Jungang and Seongnam Markets are famous for dried fish, seafood, and Sommori soup, and there are also many Jeonjuburi that travelers line up to eat. Among them, chicken gangjeong, ice cream hotteok, and fish cake croquette. It is more satisfying because the fun of walking in Wolhwa Street adds to the happiness of the market.

After eating the market, switch back to walking mode! Head to Wolhwa Bridge across Namdaecheon. The road leading to Wolhwa Bridge is a steep uphill course. It was created with a zigzag gentle ramp. As you climb the ramp, you can see Wolhwa Street, which I just walked on one side, and Namdaecheon and Wolhwa Bridge on the other side. Wolhwa Bridge is a remodeling of the railway bridge that the train passed through as a pedestrian bridge.

It's new to see people walking on the bridge the train was on. There is also something to see while walking on Wolhwa Bridge. In some sections of Wolhwa Bridge, an old railroad was left behind.

In addition, transparent tempered glass was installed in the middle of the bridge so that you could overlook the river. Twelve tempered glass with a width of 1.3m and a height of 1.6m are installed. It is said that the height from the bridge to the bottom of Namdaecheon reaches about 10m, so it is dizzy. The view from Wolhwa Bridge is also cool.

When you cross the Wolhwa Bridge, Wolhwajeong finally comes out. In front of Wolhwajeong, carp sculptures symbolizing the legends of Muwolrang and Mrs. Yeonhwa are also installed. According to the monument, Wolhwajeong was originally built in 1930 by the descendants of Gangneung Kim, who came to the site of the legendary pond. Since the Great Flood, Japanese occupation, and the Korean War, it has been damaged several times.

After going back to Wolhwajeong, let's take a rest at the 'O Chair' next door. The traditional style of sperm and ultra-modern smart chairs are in harmony with the odd contrast. This landscape properly shows a characteristic of Wolhwa Street. Wolhwa Street is based on the story of Muwolrang and Mrs. Yeonhwa, but it incorporates cutting-edge technology. The Internet of Things (IoT) technology was introduced at Wolhwa Street in order to promote the excellence of Korea's information and communication technology (ICT) to the world by celebrating the PyeongChang Winter Olympics. Walking on Wolhwa Street, you can experience media walls, smart street lights, and virtual reality (VR) panoramas. The smart healing chair “Oh Chair” is one of them.

It is not difficult to use ‘Oh Chair’. Just enter the QR code on your smartphone and you're ready. You can play the music you want with Bluetooth and even adjust the chair lighting. It is convenient because you can use it in all the “o chairs” and smart street lights in Wolhwa Street with a single input. You can enter the phrase you want on the street lamp and play the music you want to hear just by operating your smartphone. “It's such a good world,” it's no excuse like an old man.

Wolhwa Street

-Visit: 172-38, Gyo-dong, Gangneung-si, Gangwon-do (Hall Sharing Park) / 2112, Gyeonggang-ro, Gangneung-si, Gangwon-do (Wolhwa Folk Market) / 1-7, Gangbyeon-ro 312beon-gil, Gangneung-si, Gangwon-do (Wolhwajeong)

-Inquiries: 033-640-4565 (Wolhwa Street Tourist Information Center)

Restaurants near

-Umjine stalls: Komaknim / 47, Okcheon-ro, Gangneung-si, Gangwon-do / 033-642-0178

-Gyodong Banjeom (original Gangneung Gyodong Banjeom main store): Champon / Gangneung-si, Gangneung-si, Gangneung-daero 205 / 033-646-3833

-Curry Tteokbokki during high school: Tteokbokki, Tempura / 22-6 Sinhak-gil, Gangneung-si, Gangwon-do / 033-641-3642

Rooms

-Gangneung Ojuk Hanok Village: 114 Jukheon-gil, Gangneung-si, Gangwon-do / 033-655-1117 / Korean Tourism Quality Certification

http://www.ojuk.or.kr/

-Gangneung ing guesthouse: 19, Jijigak-gil, Gangneung-si, Gangwon-do / 010-5919-0050 / Korea Tourism Quality Certification

http://www.inggh.com/xe/main.html

-Russo Hotel: 12, Gyodong Gwangjang-ro 100beon-gil, Gangneung-si, Gangwon-do / 033-647-9400 / Korean Tourism Quality Certification

http://www.russohotel.com/

※ The above information was updated in April 2019, and may be changed later, so please check before you travel.
※ Information, such as text, photos, and videos used in this article, is copyrighted by the Korea Tourism Organization, and unauthorized use of the article is prohibited.