Credit: KBS News.
The rise of South Korean pop culture has made Jeju-do Island 제주도 a global tourist destination. Seo Myeong-suk 서명숙, who passed away on April 7 in Seogwipo, Jeju-do Province 제주도 서귀포, played a key role in the global prominence of the subtropical island with her dedication to hiking and nature.
Born in 1957 in Seogwipo, Seo graduated from Korea University 고려대학교 and became a journalist in 1985. Seo would go on to become the first woman editor-in-chief of Sisa Journal 시사저널, a major political magazine. After retiring from journalism in 2006, Seo made a pilgrimage, walking the 485-mile length of the Camino de Santiago in Spain - then came home resolved to establish hiking trails in her hometown.
Between 2007 and 2012, Seo personally charted numerous walking trails across Jeju, calling them Olle Trails 올레길 after the Jeju dialect word for “alleyways.” She connected broken roads and erected markers, creating 21 trails by 2012 - approximately 270 miles, walkable in about a month - that spanned and connected the entire island. Seo’s motto of “healing and reflection through walking” sparked a trekking fad, elevating Jeju as a destination for nature enthusiasts.
