Dojjebigol Sky Valley in Donghae has claimed the top prize — the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Award — in the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism's 2026 Regional Tourism Development Project Best Practices evaluation, earning the highest score in the country. The site takes its name from "dojjebi," a regional dialect word for "dokkaebi" (a goblin-like spirit from Korean folklore) said to have played among the valley's hills, casting an auspicious glow.
The project transformed an idle valley and hillside near Mukho Lighthouse into an experiential tourism facility at a total cost of 8 billion won ($5.97 million), opening in June 2021.
The ravine along Nongoldamgil between Mukho Lighthouse and Eodal Hoe Town had long sat neglected, but its reinvention as a nationally recognized tourism destination has helped drive what locals call the "Mukho jackpot" — a surge in visitors and economic activity in the area.
The facility features a Y-shaped elevated skywalk offering sweeping views of the East Sea. It was the second venue in South Korea to install a sky bicycle attraction, and the ride's popularity at Dojjebigol helped spark broader national interest in sky cycling as a leisure activity.
The site surpassed 1 million visitors in 2023, roughly two years after opening, and has since crossed the 2 million cumulative visitor mark.
In this year's evaluation, Dojjebigol Sky Valley was the only site nationwide to receive the grand prize, recognized for converting idle land into a tourism asset, maintaining consistent post-opening management, and contributing to the revitalization of the local commercial district.
Donghae Mayor Lee Jeong-hak said Friday that the award was "a precious achievement that combines the efforts of public officials who drew up the blueprint for tourism development in the early stages of the project and worked to secure national funding and build the facilities, along with the ongoing operations and management that followed." Lee added that the city would continue to strengthen its tourism competitiveness and work to invigorate the local economy, with Dojjebigol Sky Valley at the center of those efforts.
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