A sculpture piece in front of the Wonju Museum in wonju, Gangwon Province.

Its spring all around the country, and Gangwon Province plans to take advantage of the flower-covered hills by running a special train connecting some of the most famous spots in the province in a bid to attract tourists from the Seoul area.

From May 1 to 14, in cooperation with the Korea National Tourism Organization, the Korea Railroad Corp. and municipal and county offices are operating a spring train tour. It is divided into four thematic projects.

The “special dream” and “romantic tourism” trains will run to four destinations in the province, including the Chuncheon area, with five destinations along the Soyang Lake scheduled to run on May 7 and May 14. There will be a special “dream class” on the train with a welcoming event at the Chuncheon Rail Station. 

There will also be city tours at the cities the train stops at. The Wonju area will have a special “filial piety dream train” scheduled to run on May 7 on the Central Railroad Line from Seoul to Gangneung, Gangown Province. Colorful programs during the tour include a concert in Wonju; and a visit to an old Buddhist temple site. 

Foreign tourists jump on smashed tomatoes during a tomato festival in Hwacheon, Gangwon Province.

The Sokcho area will have a special train run twice on May 11 and May 14 with a theme of “ITX Youth” at Chuncheon Railroad Station and the Mt. Sorak tour using buses for a one-night, two day tour with the theme being a “search for memories” while in high school: The Taebaek area will have train tours to two destinations, a city and a county in the area, with the theme being “loving romance.” There will be a special screening of “The Descendants of the Sun.” 

The special trains are scheduled to run on May 1 and May 14, exclusively for foreigners. 

A train will tour location sites of the popular TV show, “The Descendants of the Sun,” throughout Jeongson and Taebaek cities in the area. There also will be a city tour for one-night and two-days to popular sites in the area.

The trains for the Chuncheon area will leave from Yongsan Railroad Station in Seoul, pick up the passengers in Cheongryang-ri Railroad Station in Seoul, make a stop at Sangbong Railroad Station and then arrive in Chuncheon City, the capital of the Gangwon Province, at around 10 a.m. A welcoming event is scheduled to start at 10:12 a.m. at the rail station including a welcoming performance by characters from each city and counties around Chuncheon City; a lottery ticket pick-up and a flea market from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The tour will also include five cities and counties nearby Chuncheon.

People ride boats in a wild stream in Inje in Gangwon Province.

People enjoy the view of a forest in Hongcheon, Gangwon Province.

The special train for the Wonju area, with the theme “Romantic and Dream Tour for Filial Piety with Parents,” departs from the Cheongyang-ri Railroad Station in Seoul at around 8:30 a.m. on May 7. While traveling to Wonju, a variety of events re scheduled to take place on the train, including a session on the story of Gangwon Province, the Potato Golden Bell, the explanations of various cultural assets in the areas on the train’s path. 

A number of “Thank-You Corners” will give out free drinks. In Wonju, a City Tour is scheduled to take place from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. It will include such historic sites as the Hungbob Temple site; the Bobcheon Temple site; and the Kwanum Temple site. The destinations will also include a tour of the Miro Open Market in Wonju. There also will be a concert to appreciate the historic contributions made by Wonju throughout the history. Music numbers to be performed include fusion and classic songs by local bands and classic musical groups.

The Seokcho tour, with the theme of “Romantic Tour with Memory Dream with Friends” will involve two trains, one on May 11 and the other on May 14. Around 80 people will join the first tour and 40 on the second. The special events include a special tour to Mt. Sorak and the discovery of memories for those born in their 70s and 80s The special trains will start from Yongsan Railroad Station in Seoul. The festive events in Seokcho include a cable car ride on Mt. Seokcho, a visit to Abai Village in Seokcho, a visit to the Lighthouse Observatory and the Teddy Bear Farm.

A view of Mt. Sorak near Sokcho in Gangwon Province.