The author of 『People's Path, National Journey』 is currently working as the CEO of an IT venture company that develops research/academic software in Pangyo Techno Valley.
He has been leading a walking club for the past seven years as a hobby, walking mountains and trails around the country.
During that time, through various walking experiences, I began to think that I should pioneer a new human trail route rather than a national trail that follows national roads.
The core idea was, 'I want to feel our country with my whole body,' and it was the motivation for starting the People's Road National Trek.
In order for him to truly feel the breath of our country, he had to pioneer a new human route, not a road.
The 'human path' that started like that was an exploratory path, and it was a path that involved 30% more walking than the existing national road route that mainly used national roads.


He took two weekend days every month to walk across five provinces and 20 cities and counties, from the southernmost point of the Korean Peninsula to the civilian control line in Goseong, the northernmost point where people can currently walk.
The period and distance were 34 days and 946 km over 1 year and 5 months.
Everywhere I walked with countless steps was a path of communication with the local life, a path of meeting old people, and a path of truly smelling the fragrance of our country.
He intends to capture the humanistic interpretation and inspiration of everything he encountered along the 946km journey in the 5 volumes of “People’s Road National Journey.”
Among them, Haenam, Gangjin, Yeongam, and Naju were published as the first volume.

Dreaming of a human-led national journey

Walking, the act of 'walking on my own two feet', was the simplest but the greatest joy.
It was only while walking that I realized how important it is to find the original human nature that has embodied walking upright since millions of years ago.
I was so into walking that I walked all over the country every weekend for five years.

As I began to call myself a "walker," I began to develop a desire to walk across the entire country.
There is a huge difference between walking to a designated trail site that has been developed over the past five years and walking the entire length of our country without missing a single step.
More than anything, I was curious about the reality of the land where our Korean people have lived for generations.

The land, as it was, is a natural land, containing the entirety of our lives as Koreans and the land that nurtures these diverse lives.
I wanted to feel firsthand the precious land that provided a home for humans who have been connected to this land since the time of Homo Eryxtus, our beautiful rivers and mountains where we have lived for half a millennium, establishing Dangun Joseon and building our national consciousness, and the present state that continues to breathe that spirit, and the lives of the people who are living on this land right now.
I was curious about the way of life and the scent of life in each region, the unique nature and scenery of each place, and even the slightest hint of wind, every single flower, every single leaf.

The problem was how and by what route to walk our country.
I wanted to avoid the traditional way of traveling across the country, walking on roads that are artificially painted and do not allow us to feel the true nature of our land.
It seemed like I couldn't find any feeling, emotion, or inspiration on the painted road.
Before I set out on my journey across the country, all the books I looked for in bookstores were about walking along the shortest national highways.


For me, who wanted to truly feel the essence of our country, I needed a different path.
Walking along the road will be the shortest and easiest way to travel the entire country.
However, if the only memories that remain in my mind after completing the race are the tired and exhausted ones, rather than the feelings or learnings gained from the same old road called the tea road, then it would be a waste of time to spend on the cross-country race.
It seemed like it couldn't be anything more than the self-satisfaction of "having conquered the country."


Let's go the human way

So I made a decision.
We decided to embark on a new 'people's road national tour' excluding national highways.
It is a national road trip where people are the masters, not a road where cars are the masters.

Until now, the National Trek has been walking along national roads, so despite all the time and effort put into it, the original meaning of the National Trek, which was 'discovery and inspiration of the country', has inevitably faded away, in addition to the meaning of 'completing the trek'.
The appeal of the national race is halved, and many people who dream of becoming a national racer are hesitant because they have to take risks along the way.


Even if we set out on a journey, the routes are all different.
This is because there is still no suitable walking route for embarking on a grand journey across the beautiful land of our country.
No, to be exact, there is no national route for people to walk.
It is a shame for all Koreans that while they go on expeditions to find walking routes overseas, they cannot go on the Great National Trek in Korea because there is no way to know which route to take.

Of course, realistically, it is impossible to continue the road without completely excluding national and local roads.
However, if you climb up the mountain and follow the ridge the entire way, you will not be able to see the various aspects of the country and the lives of the people there, and it will end up being a mountain hike rather than a national trek.
Finding a path that is neither a road nor a mountain path is undoubtedly a more difficult task than you might think.

We had to find a new route across the country that no one had ever been on before.
It was a pioneering journey, a life challenge, and in some ways, an exploration.
The results of our challenge to walk the human path to uncover the truth about our land were truly astonishing.
The jewel-like inner workings of our country slowly revealed themselves, and I witnessed the scene with all five senses.
Although I didn't intentionally go looking for famous places, the human path route was filled with countless must-see places in our country that we must visit while we are alive.
The unknown hidden place made my heart beat even faster.

It also allowed me to hear stories of my ancestors from whom I had been cut off, and to learn about life in regions I had never known before.
It made us realize that we are not alone, but exist in solidarity, above history.
The human path of the national journey was a path of communication.
Even now, every moment of the thrilling, overwhelming journey across the country is vividly recalled with excitement.
After completing the national trek, whenever I pass by the road along the route I walked at the time, it feels like my group is still walking along the path of people in the distance.
Even now, those days, when I was filled with joy and pleasure, enjoying our land with my whole body, come to mind with a thrill of emotion.

It's already been half a year since the national championship ended.
But the reason I still remember it vividly is because everything I encountered while walking was new: the fragrance created by the people who silently lived the life given to them and protected our land, the natural wonders that only that land could offer, the clear sound of water, the sound of wind, and even the air.
The 'People's Road National Trek' was a special life experience. Now, I calm my mind and reminisce about the thrilling journey.

---From the "Prologue"