Jeju Olle founder Seo Myeong-suk posthumously awarded Morang Order of Civil Merit

The government announced Saturday that it has posthumously awarded the Morang Order of Civil Merit to Seo Myeong-suk, the late chairwoman of Jeju Olle, who died April 7 at the age of 68. The honor recognizes her contributions in developing the Jeju Olle trails into an internationally recognized walking-travel model that connected people and communities around the world.

Beginning in 2007, Seo built and operated the Jeju Olle trail network, growing it into South Korea's premier walking route, which had drawn a cumulative 13.4 million visitors as of June.

Through walking travel, she created ecological and cultural spaces where nature, visitors and local residents could coexist, contributing to sustainable tourism development. She also expanded the Jeju Olle model to Japan and Mongolia, establishing it as an international walking-travel framework and helping spread the value of walking throughout Korean society.

The Order of Civil Merit is a government award presented to individuals who have made distinguished contributions to national development. The government decided to confer the Morang Order posthumously in recognition of her achievements.

Culture Minister Choi Hwi-yeong visited the Jeju Olle Traveler Center in Seogwipo on Saturday afternoon to present the decoration on behalf of the government.