Published : Jan. 23, 2013 - 20:02
This photo released by the office of Eumseong county, North Chungcheong Province, shows a guidepost of Ban Ki-moon Bichaigil, a new road under construction in the hometown of U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.(Yonhap News)
A trail will be named after U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon in his hometown in North Chungcheong Province.
The Eumseong county office said Wednesday that it is putting the final touches on construction of the 8.5-kilometer Ban Ki-moon Bichaigil. “Bichaigil” means a road where walkers clear the mind and then fill it with clean things.
Ban Ki-moon Bichaigil was approved by the Ministry of Public Administration and Security last year as an 800 million won ($740,000) project.
The trail is linked to existing tourism resources including Ban’s birth house and memorial hall. The county office has added an observatory pavilion, a picnic area, a photo zone and resting areas to the road.
A local legend of the village where Ban was born has it that three gods came down from heaven for a brief time, then later settled down in the village after being fascinated with apricot blossoms.
The county office expects Ban Ki-moon Bichaigil to give fresh life to the area’s tourism. The road will be dedicated in March.
By Chun Sung-woo (
swchun@heraldcorp.com)