Hiking group offers glimpse North Korea spy trail

By John Redmond

The Seoul Hiking and Nature group offers an evening hiking tour of central Seoul on Thursday including a visit to a North Korean spy route.

The tour will start along Seoul City Wall, continue through Ihwa Mural Village and finish at the so-called Kim Shin-jo North Korean spy route on Mt. Bugak.

With a distance of six kilometers, the hike takes about two hours, depending on snow and ice.

Kim Shin-jo is one of two survivors of the 31-person team of North Korean commandos sent to assassinate President Park Chung Hee in the Blue House Raid of January 1968.

The group will meet outside exit 6 of Dongdaemun Station at 6:30 p.m. sharp.

Participants are advised to wear comfortable shoes and prepare an extra layer of clothes.

Instruction will be provided on pace, hiking and night photography tips.

The Seoul Hiking and Nature group was founded by Warren Kim in 2009 to help visitors experience Korean culture.

The fee is 5,000 won cash on the day.

Visit facebook.com/seoulhikingnature to RSVP and for future events.