The Han-ok Heritage Becomes Shinsegae VIP Travel Package...2 Nights 3 Days 'The Silence of Danjong'

Just ten days after winning the 'Best New Hotel' award, The Han-ok Heritage in Yeongwol has now been listed on Shinsegae Department Store's VIP travel platform. On the 31st, it was confirmed that Shinsegae's premium travel platform 'VIA SHINSEGAE' has launched a luxury package priced in the upper 2 million won range per person called 'The Silence of Danjong, Noble Comfort Dedicated to Your Life,' centered on The Han-ok Heritage accommodation.

The product description begins with the phrase: "Following the noble silence of a young king who swallowed resentment and sorrow, a moment of rest that soothes your weary inner self in this hectic world." It is a 2 nights 3 days journey through Yeongju and Yeongwol tracing the exiled path of Korea's sixth Joseon king, Danjong. Before departure, Professor Shin Byung-ju of Konkuk University's History Department, a Joseon dynasty expert familiar from 'You Quiz on the Block' and 'History Journal That Day,' will hold a pre-departure academy on the theme of "Why Did Danjong Go to Cheongnyeongpo in Yeongwol?" and a historical doent will accompany the entire itinerary. The itinerary departs from Shinsegae Department Store Gangnam Branch in a 20-seater premium bus with no shopping center visits, and operates with a small group of minimum 10 to maximum 16 people.

The journey layers history and gastronomy. On the first day, visitors tour Geumseong Daegung Sinden (Historic Site No. 491), which honors Prince Geumseong who died attempting to restore Danjong, and Sosu Seowon, Korea's first state-designated academy, before arriving at The Han-ok Heritage (Gaon Twin). At the hotel, after a hanok architecture tour, a traditional alcohol and finger food pairing is served in a separate pavilion. The second day begins with a 12-course Korean breakfast feast, passes through a 70-meter rocky landscape with monoliths, and enters Cheongnyeongpo, the 'island within land' accessible only by boat, where visitors encounter Danjong's former residence and the Tower of Longing for Home. The hall of Eom Heung-do, the loyal retainer who risked his life to recover Danjong's remains, and the UNESCO World Heritage Site Jangreung follow, and after wine foot soaking at Yemil Wine Healing Center, dinner features Chef Shin Dong-min's fine dining 'Monto' composed of Part 1 'The Radiant Royal Table' and Part 2 'The Table Where People's Sincerity Touched,' with a course menu.

On the final day, the itinerary opens with sound bath meditation at the hanok, then tours Gwanpungheon Pavilion where Danjong met his end, Yeongwol Seobu Market with buckwheat pancakes and tadpole soup, and Young Dal Whipark, a contemporary art complex cultural space, before returning to Seoul. The standard departure date is March 30 next year.

Via Shinsegae is a premium travel platform that Shinsegae Department Store first launched in the department store industry in August of last year. One year after launch, the VIP customer sales ratio reached 65%, and first-half sales grew 14 times, with a structure that counts all travel purchase amounts as VIP performance for Shinsegae, attracting high-value customers. The response to chef and expert-accompanied programs has been enthusiastic. The Hong Kong gourmet travel program accompanying Chinese star chef Jung Ji-seon, recently launched, confirmed that all spots have been filled. It is a channel standing shoulder-to-shoulder with global luxury travel agencies, having entered a partnership program with Belmond, a hotel group under LVMH.

This move aligns with rising valuations of The Han-ok Heritage. On the 22nd, it was the only Korean hotel to receive Tatler, an Asia luxury magazine, 'Best New Hotel' award, and it has already secured the Versailles Architecture Award (2024) hosted by UNESCO headquarters and Forbes Travel Guide membership. Shinsegae had built a relationship with The Han-ok Heritage by operating a Yeongwol tour as a card promotion prize in June, so this formal product launch is interpreted as elevating the collaboration to the next level.

Noteworthy is that this case demonstrates how history, architecture, and gastronomy bundled into one product have transformed a 'small provincial city' into a luxury destination in the 2 million won per person range. As a structure opens where cultural resources outside the Seoul metropolitan area are sold as high-end products through department store VIP channels, attention is focused on whether tourist product development will continue for regions rich in narrative assets like Yeongwol and Yeongju.