The government said Thursday it will open a bike path along the country's east coast in phases starting next year as part of efforts to promote public health and bicycles as a means of environmentally friendly transportation.

The path covering an estimated 720 kilometers, the longest in the country, will stretch from Goseong in Gangwon Province, some 466 kilometers east of Seoul, all the way to the southern city of Busan, according to the Ministry of Public Administration and Security.

The longest path to date is the 633 kilometer-long path linking Seoul to Busan.

The route from Goseong to Samcheok, 290 kilometers east of Seoul, in Gangwon Province will be open by the end of next year, and the rest of the path to Busan is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2014, according to the ministry.

"We will transform old national highways and provincial roads with little traffic into bike paths," a ministry official said.

"The east coast route, which is the most favored among several other planned ones, will offer eight highlights of tourist attractions, including Gyeongpo Beach and Naksan Temple."

In 2010, the government launched a project to build some 3,214 kilometers of bike paths by 2019 with a budget of 1.02 trillion won (US$903 million), and has already completed an estimated 440 kilometers of bike paths for the project. (Yonhap)