The state-run Jeju Tourism Organization on Wednesday teamed up with the Jeju Olle Foundation, the caretaker of the Olle Trail on South Korea's largest tourist island of Jeju, to jointly develop a walking route in Mongolia, the local tourist body said.

Jeju Tourism Organization chief Choi Kab-yeol and Olle Trail Foundation head Suh Myung-sook signed a business pact on the development of the Mongolian Olle Trail. The two sides reached the deal as part of efforts to expand tourism and cultural exchanges between Jeju and Mongolia and enhance the island's image as an international tourist attraction.

Under the pact, the foundation will be responsible for developing the Mongolian route's courses, manuals for maintenance of the trail and facilities for course guidance, and giving support to local publicity of the trail. The JTO will help raise funds for the development of the courses.

The two bodies are scheduled to sign a deal on June 16 with the government of Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia, over the development of the trail.

The Olle Trail, whose construction began in 2006, stretches about 422 kilometers along the coastline of the island off South Korea's southern coast. The word "Olle" comes from the old Jeju dialect meaning a very narrow alley or path from a public street to the gate of a house. (Yonhap)