Location registration area assigning method, a user terminal and location registration area management apparatus

A trace reporting method, in which a user terminal reports to a tracking area management apparatus a trace along which the user terminal has moved in a mobile communication system, includes the steps of storing, by the user terminal, identifiers of base stations where the user terminal has performed cell selection in an identifier storage unit; and reporting, by the user terminal, to the tracking area management apparatus the identifiers stored in the identifier storage unit upon communicating with a base station. The tracking area management apparatus may compare the reported identifiers with a prestored pattern and assign a tracking area to the user terminal based on the comparison.