From late July to early August, roads across Korea are traditionally packed with people heading off on vacation.
In early August, the Wikimedia community in Korea and neurodivergent participants also took a special kind of vacation of their own: a photowalk in Yeongwol.
Yeongwol is well known for its historic sites associated with King Danjong, as well as for the film The Man Who Lives with the King, which tells a story centered on him.
We’d like to invite you, our readers, to join us as we look back on our time there.
The day of our photowalk, August 1, fell during what was close to the peak of Korea’s summer heatwave.
Since most of our route involved outdoor activities, we first filled up on some refreshing makguksu before heading out.
The tangy flavors of Seoul-style makguksu, the rich meaty broth of Gyeongsang-style milmyeon, and the mild, delicate taste of Gangwon-style makguksu came together to create a whole new world of flavors: Yeongwol-style makguksu.
Visiting Cheongnyeongpo, King Danjong’s Place of Exile
Our next stop was Cheongnyeongpo, the first place where Danjong was exiled after being demoted to the status of Nosangun.
Cheongnyeongpo was chosen after an enthusiastic vote among the participants, who had to decide between this site and Gwanpungheon, where Danjong spent his final days in exile.
Surrounded by the river on three sides, Cheongnyeongpo was a place where contact with the outside world was once extremely difficult.
Our Yeongwol photowalk team also had to take a boat to travel between Cheongnyeongpo and the mainland.
The long line of visitors, seemingly matching the film’s popularity, gave us a sense of just how enduring the public’s interest in Danjong remains.
Even though our manager had thoughtfully brought bottled water for everyone, we still had to wait under the scorching sun.
Cheongnyeongpo, seen from the dock and across the river, was just as beautiful as it looked in the film.
One of the reasons participants chose Cheongnyeongpo was its beautiful scenery.
The heat was exhausting, but the cool breeze coming off the river and the stunning views before us made the wait worthwhile.
We split up and explored Cheongnyeongpo at our own pace.
Some participants decided to skip the hike, but three of them made sure to photograph Manghyangtap, a stone tower said to have been built by Danjong as he longed for Hanyang day after day, as well as Nonsandae.
Looking at their photographs, we could get a sense, at least to some extent, of the deep longing and sorrow Danjong must have felt.
Visiting the Donggang Rafting Festival
Next came the Donggang Rafting Festival, one of the stops our participants had been looking forward to the most.
Held for a week from late July to early August along the banks of the Donggang River, the festival naturally featured plenty of traditional rafts.
The water-play area was by far one of the most popular attractions among visitors, but unfortunately, our photowalk participants didn’t have enough time to join in and had to move on.
Fortunately, there were plenty of delicious food trucks waiting for our team instead.
For some participants, the highlight of the photowalk turned out to be enjoying all the tasty food.
The Heatwave and the Challenges for Wikimedians
This photowalk took place in what felt like one of the most intense heatwaves we have ever experienced.
Even though we had carefully shared a list of recommended items to bring, dealing with the extreme heat was still challenging.
Because neurodivergent people can be particularly vulnerable to climate-related disasters such as heatwaves, this experience highlighted the need to consider postponing photowalks until after periods of extreme heat, reducing outdoor activities, and incorporating more indoor activities into future programs.
Still, we were proud to hear participants say that they had a great time and found the photowalk enjoyable enough to forget about the heat.
On Saturday, August 8, 2026, we had a meaningful offline gathering in Daejeon with three Wiki Rookies who are working together to build the Korean Wikipedia.
The Wiki Rookies explored the National Science Museum in Daejeon, spent a special day together, and had a valuable opportunity to connect and build meaningful relationships!
What is Wiki Rookies?
Wiki Rookies is a youth club centered around Wikipedia, with its name combining “Wiki” and “Rookie.”
A “rookie” is someone taking their first steps into a new field, and Wiki Rookies aims to help young people take their own first steps into the world of knowledge.
The biggest goal of Wiki Rookies is to help young people grow from people who simply consume information into people who create knowledge.
We invite you to join us on this journey as young people learn together, document together, and work toward building a better knowledge ecosystem.
We do more than simply consume information.
We research sources ourselves, verify facts, and create opportunities to share knowledge with the world through Wikipedia.
What kind of activities do Wiki Rookies take part in?
Wiki Rookies offers a variety of activities where young people can experience Wikipedia and other Wikimedia projects firsthand while creating and sharing knowledge.
Our main activities include training in writing and editing Wikipedia articles; photowalks, where participants explore places in person, take photographs, and contribute them to Wikimedia Commons; projects researching and documenting local history, culture, and people; online and offline editing meetups; interactive events such as quiz competitions and edit-a-thons; and community activities where participants share their editing experiences and grow together.
Rather than simply providing instruction, all of these activities focus on giving young people hands-on experience in researching and verifying information and sharing reliable knowledge with the world.
The First Wiki Rookies Gathering
This meetup gave Wiki Rookies, who usually edit Wikipedia and participate online, a chance to meet in person, get to know one another, explore the local area together, and gain new experiences.
It was a little awkward at first to meet friends we had only known online, but the atmosphere quickly became comfortable as we talked about Wikipedia and our individual interests.
A Special Day Together in Daejeon
We explored various spaces inside the National Science Museum in Daejeon and spent time sharing what we saw and experienced along the way.
Instead of simply searching for information online and editing articles as we normally do, this time we visited the site ourselves, experienced it firsthand, and gained knowledge that we could see and feel for ourselves.
It was especially interesting to see that even when looking at the same place, each person noticed and became interested in different things as we talked about the topics that fascinated us.
Through this experience, we were reminded once again that Wikipedia is not simply a place to write articles on the internet, but also a space where we can discover and document the stories of the world around us.
Wiki Rookies: Meeting Beyond the Screen
Although most Wiki Rookies activities take place online, spending time together in person, like we did in Daejeon, is also an important part of the program.
Meeting friends we had previously known only through a screen and sharing our editing experiences naturally led to new ideas.
Asking questions like “What kind of article would you like to write?” or “Could we document something like this on Wikipedia?” helped us discover new perspectives that we might not have considered while editing alone.
Above all, one of the most memorable things about this meetup was realizing that simply having friends to share the experience with can make contributing to Wikipedia even more enjoyable.
Creating Knowledge Together, Growing Together as Wiki Rookies
Wiki Rookies is more than just a youth group where participants learn how to edit Wikipedia.
It is an opportunity to experience what it means to create knowledge: asking questions, looking for answers, checking facts, and sharing what we discover with others.
Just as we did during our Daejeon meetup, we hope to create more opportunities for young people to meet, explore together, and document the world in their own unique ways.
We would like to thank the three Wiki Rookies who joined us in Daejeon, and we are already looking forward to discovering where our next journey will take us and what stories we will document together.
Creating knowledge together, growing together toward the future.
Stay tuned for the next chapter of Wiki Rookies!
What’s Next for Wiki Rookies?
Wiki Rookies is currently developing and preparing a variety of programs to make it easier and more enjoyable for more young people to experience Wikimedia activities firsthand!
From the first Wiki Rookies Wikipedia Quiz Competition on July 17 and our Daejeon offline meetup on August 8 to museum visits, photowalks, and other fun activities designed to broaden the perspectives and experiences of our Rookies, we are always coming up with and planning new ways for participants to explore and learn.
We also plan to regularly organize interactive programs such as Wikipedia editing workshops, edit-a-thons, quiz competitions, and mentoring programs, while continuing to build a community where young people can learn from and collaborate with one another.
Ultimately, Wiki Rookies aims to foster a culture in which young people across Korea create and share knowledge together, building an environment where they can grow into people who create knowledge rather than simply consume information.
Conclusion
Wiki Rookies is both a space and a shared experience where young people can create knowledge, learn, and grow together.
Small acts of interest and encouragement can come together to give even more young people new opportunities to learn and explore!
We hope you will continue to show your support and interest as Wiki Rookies discovers the potential of more young people and helps build a culture of freely sharing knowledge.
Creating knowledge together, growing together toward the future! We hope you’ll join us on the Wiki Rookies journey!