[News Today] Untan Trail becomes tourist hot spot

[LEAD]
What was once the heart of Korea's industrial boom has now transformed into a summer escape. Gangwon-do Province's old mining towns have become a tourist attraction. Today, we introduce the Untan High Mountain Trail, offering cool breezes even in the summer heat.

[REPORT]
The Taebaek Mountains, home to numerous soaring peaks.

There is a small pond nestled deep within.

It's Dorongi Pond created when the mine shafts collapsed.

It is where miners' wives supposedly prayed for their husbands' safe return to the salamanders living in the pond.

Shaft 1177 shows up at the end of a mountainous road still black with coal dust.

It was the first mine shaft of the Sabuk mining company, the largest one in Asia at one time.

A statue of a miner happy to see his family after a day's work tells the shaft's old history.

Jeon Ju-gak / Fmr. miner who worked in shaft 1177
Our faces would get all black with coal dust and sweat. We couldn't tell who was who.

This is 'Untan High Mountain Trail' where coal, often referred to as the heart of the industrial revolution, was carried along during Korea's industrialization.

It's now a 170-kilometer trekking trail connecting Yeongwol, Jeongseon, Taebaek and Samcheok in Gangwon-do Province.

The average altitude above sea level is 540 meters.

Cool winds blow even during a severe heat wave.

After the mines closed, the remaining residents decorated the village by making handmade woodcraft works.

Yun Yeo-heung / Jeongseon-gun County resident
We want to show the tourists something we are proud of.

The Untan High Mountain Trail has become a summertime hot spot where the history of Korea's industrialization is still kept alive.

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