Because access to Uiryeong-gil has been restricted for the last forty years or so, the ecology is surprisingly well kept for any area in the Seoul region.
There have been long disputes among officials on whether or not to allow public access to the area. As a result, Uiryeong-gil has been reborn as an ecological experience section open to a restricted number of civilians only (1,000 persons per day). This is part of the effort to preserve the area’s unspoilt state.
Until the Korean War, Uiryeong-gil, also known as Sogwi Pass, was a small dirt path that connected Ui-dong, Seoul and Gyohyeon-ri, Jangheung-myeon, Yangju-si, Gyeonggi-do. Then, for strategic purposes, a GI engineering battalion built a paved road on the same path wide enough for cars to pass.
Uiryeong-gil crosses the very center of Bukhansan Mountain and Dobongsan Mountain situated on the edge of Hanbuk Ridge connecting Yangju-si with Seoul's biosphere reserve. The area is in pristine condition, and boasts dense Siberian alder, ailanthus, and false acacias planted in 1966 for erosion control. There are over 2,400 trees in the artificial forest, mixed with the mountain’s natural forest.
Uiryeong-gil is the only section among all thirteen Dulle-gil trails that requires reservation.
Go straight to “Reservations” for the Uiryeong-gil section.