HWASEONG — The Maehyangri Peace Memorial Hall has become the first site in Hwaseong to be designated a Gyeonggi-style wellness tourism destination.
The city of Hwaseong said on the 26th that the memorial hall was one of seven new sites chosen this year for the Gyeonggi-style wellness tourism program.
Wellness tourism goes beyond simple rest or sightseeing to help visitors recover in body and mind. Demand for travel focused on healing and health has grown recently, and interest in the field has risen further since a law on the healing tourism industry took effect in April this year.
With the designation, the memorial hall will serve as the first hub for wellness tourism in Hwaseong. The city plans to expand tourism content built around healing and recovery, combining Maehyangri's history with its natural environment.
For half a century, Maehyangri was used as a U.S. Air Force firing range, leaving the area harmed by bombing and the noise of fighter jets. The memorial hall has been developed as a space that turns those memories into a meaning of peace and recovery.
The hall has drawn particular attention for a soundwalking program known as the "sound walk." Participants walk through former military facilities and the surrounding natural environment, experiencing the sounds and atmosphere of Maehyangri through their senses. Programs to ease tension in body and mind, such as yoga and singing bowls, have also been offered.
The recent evaluation credited the transformation of a place still marked by memories of bombing into a space of healing and recovery. The distinctiveness of a program combining the resources of nature, history and sound was said to have earned high marks.
This year's soundwalking will be presented at the "1st Maehyangri Peace Memorial Hall M:UTE CAMP," to be held at the memorial hall on September 19. The program will run in daytime and nighttime sessions so that visitors can experience the atmosphere of Maehyangri by day and by night. Participation is available through on-site reservation on the day of the event.
Based on this year's results, the hall plans to analyze participants' responses, visitor movement routes and experiential elements. It also intends to develop soundwalking into a signature wellness offering for Maehyangri with expert consulting from Gyeonggi Province and the Gyeonggi Tourism Organization. The enhanced program is set to be presented at the hall in 2027.
Baek Young-mi, director general of culture and tourism for the city of Hwaseong, said, "Maehyangri is a place that residents' efforts turned from a long memory of bombing and noise into a space of peace and daily life." She added, "We will grow the value of Maehyangri's own history, nature and quiet into tourism content, so that visitors can feel the meaning of peace and recovery."
