Gwangneung Forest:
Take Only Pictures, Leave Only Footprints
The Leaves of Spring
As a part of our Climate Change Conference sponsored by the UNESCO Centre Korea, all the conference participants went to the Gwangneung Forest to admire the beauty of nature.
The Gwangneung forest is the extensive forest of 2,204 hectares located from Jinjeop-Eup, Namyangju City and Euijeongboo City, to Naechon-Myeon and Sohol-Myeon, Pocheon-Gun.This place is the best natural forest in Korea because of its treasury of mountains and forests, as well as a fascinating mix of animals and plant species.
The Gwangneung Forest has been thoroughly protected and managed since it was designated as the mausoleum forest of King Sejo in 1468.The place is a natural forest with a value that can be hardly observed in Korea, and 54% of the forest is natural as of the late 1993. Contrary to the fact that most of the Korean forests have been re-grown after being damaged by wars or reckless deforestation, the Gwangneung forest had been consistently managed for about 450 years.
Gwangneung as a UNESCO protected area
Its natural condition has been conserved well through environmental protection and testing and the academic conservation forest respectively. For these reasons, this place is used in many domestic and foreign academic studies of natural forests. The amount of its accumulated forest trees can bear comparison with any of those in the world, and the trees generally live 70 years or longer.
The Gwangneung forest, has a total of 841 different sortsof plants settling in the forest with 75 families and 244 species of vertebrates which include 19 kinds designated as the precious natural
treasure and 22 kinds designated as the rare animal. Among all of the birds living in the forest, the most famous is the Korean redheaded woodpecker. This bird only lives in Korea and is both Precious Natural Treasure #197 and on the red list of the International Union of Conserving Nature (IUCN) to be aggressively protected.It was once known that the bird was living on Tsusima Island but has never been found there since the 1930s, and that about 10 couples of it are living in the Gwangneung forest and Mount Seolak of Korea. The bird, which is called the "Keunak" in Korean for the sound it makes when singing, was once thought to have left Gwangneung because it had not been found for several years during the 90s. It was recently rediscovered in the Gwangneung forest.
In the meantime, as Gwangneung Arboretum was established at a part of the Gwangneung forest in 1988, general people have been able to visit the place.
The arboretum is now limiting the number of visitors to 5,000 a day by reason of the rapid increase in the number.
Opening Days : Monday ~ Friday
Opening Hours : 09:00 ~ 17:00 (16:00 in Winter)
Visitors : Groups or individuals making a reservation by 5 days prior to the date of visit for the study, education or research of nature.
Closing Days : Saturday, Sunday and Holiday
Closing the Woodland Park, Not opening the Wild Zoo yet
Methods of Reservation
5 days prior to the date of visit by post mail, fax, phone call or on-line (Post mail reservation on the basis of the postmarked date)
Opening Hours : 09:00 ~ 17:00 (16:00 in Winter)
Visitors : Groups or individuals making a reservation by 5 days prior to the date of visit for the study, education or research of nature.
Closing Days : Saturday, Sunday and Holiday
Closing the Woodland Park, Not opening the Wild Zoo yet
Methods of Reservation
5 days prior to the date of visit by post mail, fax, phone call or on-line (Post mail reservation on the basis of the postmarked date)
Contact Point
Tel : (031)540-1114
FAX: (031)540-1199
Add : Reservation, Gwangneung Arboretum 72 Jikdong-Ri, Sohol-Eup,
Pocheon-Gun, Gyeonggi-Do 487-821 Korea
Pocheon-Gun, Gyeonggi-Do 487-821 Korea
Bus
Take Bus #9101 or #1018 at Cheongnyangni Station. Get off at the
Gwangneungnae Terminal. Then take Bus #21 of a 30-minute Interval. Get off at Gwangneung. Walk for 10 Minutes
Car
Take National Highway #47. Pass Bamseom Amusement Park and the Bongseonsa temple. Take Road #314. Pass Gwangneung. It is on the left side.
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