By Charles Audouin
Photos = Lee Jun Young

On Nov. 6 at 10 a.m., a group of foreign visitors saw the colorful Sobaeksan Mountains and the winding Namhangang River at Mancheonha Skywalk in Danyang-gun County, Chungcheongbuk-do Province. Wearing warm padded jackets, they busily snapped photos to capture the peak of Korean autumn.

The 12 members were outstanding promoters of Korean culture attending this year's K-Wave Festival. They attended the awards ceremony on Nov. 2 in Seoul hosted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, followed by an invitational familiarization tour of the capital and Chungcheongbuk-do Province's Danyang-gun County and Jecheon.

The group comprised five Korea.net Honorary Reporters, three K-influencers and four winners of Talk Talk Korea, a global content contest on Korean culture.

The group walked on a path road made of glass at Mancheonha Skywalk, their first destination in Danyang-gun, and looked down at the Namhangang River about 100 m below. They could see the county and Sobaeksan Mountain all in a glance.

Thai K-influencer Aiyaphat Wankawisant said, "I'm glad to see in person Korea's colorful fall leaves, something I'd looked forward to for a long time."

The high mountains that seemed to touch the sky and the shining waters on the river especially impressed the visitors. The path from the skywalk to the parking lot had interactive facilities like a zipline, alpine coaster, slide and a monorail, offering a range of fun for the visitors.

Honorary Reporter from Germany Manuel Guthmann, who said he rode many scary rides in his home country, chose the slide, screaming each time he went down a steep drop. 

"Experiencing such a dizzying speed makes me feel 20 years younger," he later said with a big smile.

The next destination was the Dodamsangbong Peaks around 2 p.m. that day. The three peaks towered above the river with a pavilion nestled between them.

A key attraction was Seokmun, a large stone "gate" made by a hole in the hills below. Other sights were caves dug in rocks and paragliders far up in the sky.

The group took in the views amid warm sunlight under a clear sky. 

"Whereas Seoul has the charm of a large city, Danyang-gun has leisure and serenity and beautiful colors," Tunisian K-influencer Salma Knani said. "The trees colored red, yellow and orange are truly mesmerizing."

Honorary Reporter from Russia Yulia Veselchakova said, "How impressive and marvelous that Korea has such diverse cultures, dialects, cuisines and scenery that coexist in this small land."

More about Danyang-gun County Located in northeastern Chungcheongbuk-do Province, Danyang-gun is bordered to the north by Yeongwol-gun County, Gangwon-do Province, to the west by Jecheon, and to the northeast by Yeongju and Mungyeong, with the Sobaek Mountains in the middle as the border. Getting from Seoul to Danyang-gun takes two hours via expressway or railroad. The Danyang-gun specialty stew olgaengiguk is made by boiling ingredients such as marsh snails, chives, dried mallows and doenjang (soybean paste). Its bittersweet taste gets better in fall, when mallows are in season. The region is also renowned for its garlic, chili peppers, watermelons, apples and omjia (schisandra or magnolia berry). The Danyang-gun government has applied for the county's designation as a UNESCO World Geopark by promoting geologic landmarks such as the Dodamsangbong Peaks, Gosudonggul Cave, Dariangyegok Valley and Mancheonha Skywalk. Passing the written and on-site screenings in September, Danyang-gun awaits the final decision slated for May.

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