KTO Hosts Accessible Spring Trip for Vulnerable Travelers at Hwangmaesan Park

Members of the sharing travel group watch a 'Begin Again' performance at Hwangmaesan County Park, an accessible tourism site. [Photo=Korea Tourism Organization]

The Korea Tourism Organization held a special “sharing trip” at Hwangmaesan County Park in Hapcheon, South Gyeongsang Province, for people considered vulnerable to travel barriers, marking “Open Travel Week.”

The newly completed park, despite its mountainous terrain, added barrier-free walkways and deck paths so wheelchair users and older visitors can reach the azalea colony near the summit.

The park also removed level differences at the summit parking-lot rest area and improved accessible restrooms. It set up an assistive-device rental station and expanded amenities, including a wheelchair-accessible “sharing cart.” Hwangmaesan, together with the nearby Daejanggyeong Theme Park and Hapcheon Image Theme Park, has reemerged as a major barrier-free tourism hub in South Gyeongsang Province.

At an event held on the 22nd, about 50 people — including people with disabilities and older residents living in Hapcheon County and members of the sharing travel group — were invited as special guests. They watched an open-mic performance for JTBC’s music program “Begin Again,” staged against a backdrop of fully bloomed red azaleas.

Local governments supported operations. Hapcheon County provided the sharing cart, and Ulsan Metropolitan City supplied a wheelchair lift-equipped vehicle to help participants get around. Footage from the event is scheduled to be released in May on JTBC and YouTube.

“May Hwangmaesan’s azaleas and beautiful music be remembered as an unforgettable gift of spring,” said Park Jeong-ung, head of the KTO’s National Tourism Division. He said the agency will seek more linked projects that people in travel-vulnerable groups can feel directly, with the goal of building a tourism powerhouse without barriers.

The Open Tourism Site development program supports upgrades to tourism infrastructure so anyone — including people with disabilities, older adults and families with infants and toddlers — can travel without restrictions. It also provides comprehensive support for experience content, guidance systems and worker training. Launched in 2015, the program has surpassed 200 open tourism sites nationwide this year.

* This article has been translated by AI.

KI SU JEONG