Deo Hanok Heritage Becomes Shinsegae VIP Travel Product…2 Nights, 3 Days 'The Silence of Danjong'
Just ten days after winning the 'Best New Hotel' award, Deo Hanok Heritage in Yeongwol has now made its way onto Shinsegae Department Store's VIP travel platform. It was confirmed on the 31st that Shinsegae's premium travel platform 'Via Shinsegae' has unveiled a luxury package centered on Deo Hanok Heritage accommodations priced at approximately 2 million won per person, titled 'The Silence of Danjong, Noble Comfort Dedicated to Your Life.'
The product description begins with the phrase: "Follow the noble silence of a young king who swallowed resentment and sorrow, and find respite that soothes your weary inner self in this chaotic world." This is a 2-night, 3-day journey through Yeongju and Yeongwol following the exile route of Danjong, the sixth king of Joseon. Before departure, Professor Shin Byung-joo of the Department of History at Konkuk University, a Joseon royal history authority familiar from 'You Quiz on the Block' and 'History Journal That Day,' will hold a pre-academy session on the topic 'Why Did Danjong Go to Cheongnyeongpo in Yeongwol?' with a history docent accompanying the entire itinerary. Departing from Shinsegae Department Store's Gangnam branch in Seoul via premium 20-seat bus, the itinerary includes no shopping center visits, with group size limited to a small number between minimum 10 and maximum 16 people.
The journey layers history and gastronomy. On the first day, after visiting Geumseong Daegunksin Sanctuary (Historic Site No. 491), honoring Prince Geumseong who sacrificed himself attempting to restore Danjong to power, and Sosu Seowon, Korea's first royal-chartered academy, guests arrive at Deo Hanok Heritage (Gaon Twin). At the hotel, after a hanok architecture tour, a traditional liquor and finger food spread is served in the pavilion annex. The second day begins with a 12-course Korean full breakfast, passes through a 70-meter rock formation standing stone, and reaches Cheongnyeongpo, an 'island within land' accessible only by boat, where guests encounter Danjong's former residence and the Tower of Yearning. This is followed by the Jeong-yeogak pavilion of Eom Hung-do, the loyal minister who risked his life to collect Danjong's remains, and Jangneung, a UNESCO World Heritage site. After a wine foot soak at Yemil Wine Healing Center, the evening features Chef Shin Dong-min's fine dining 'Monto,' consisting of Part 1 'The Resplendent Royal Table' and Part 2 'The Table Where People's Sincerity Touched,' served as a multi-course meal.
The final day opens with sound bath meditation at the hanok, then visits Gwanpungheon Pavilion where Danjong met his end, Yeongwol Seobbu Market with buckwheat pancakes and tadpole soup, and Young Moon Whypark, a contemporary art complex cultural space, before returning to Seoul. The standard departure date is March 30 of next year.
Via Shinsegae is a premium travel platform that Shinsegae Department Store unveiled in August last year as the first in the department store industry. One year after launch, VIP customer sales have reached 65%, with first-half revenue growing 14-fold, and the structure of crediting the full travel purchase amount toward department store VIP performance is drawing high-tier customers. The response to chef and expert-accompanied programs has also been enthusiastic. The recently launched Hong Kong culinary travel accompanying Chinese cuisine star chef Jeong Ji-sun was confirmed to be fully booked. It is a channel that stands shoulder-to-shoulder with global luxury travel companies, including entering a partner program with Belmond, a hotel group under LVMH (Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy).
This move coincides with Deo Hanok Heritage's rising valuation. On the 22nd, it became the only Korean hotel to win Tatler, an Asian luxury media outlet's 'Best New Hotel' award, and has already secured the Versailles Architecture Award (2024) overseen by UNESCO headquarters and Forbes Travel Guide membership. Shinsegae previously formed a connection with Deo Hanok Heritage by operating Yeongwol tours as card promotion prizes in June, so this formal productization is seen as elevating the level of collaboration.
Notably, this represents a case where history, architecture, and gastronomy are bundled into one product, transforming a 'provincial small city' into a luxury destination priced at approximately 2 million won per person. As a structure opens where cultural resources outside the capital region are sold as high-end products through department store VIP channels, attention is turning to whether regions like Yeongwol and Yeongju with rich narrative assets will continue to produce tourism products.