Korea Forest Service Creates Community Forests Near Hospitals and Schools

Outdoor garden view to be created at Jeonbuk National University Hospital. Photo by Korea Forest Service

[Asia Economy (Daejeon) Reporter Jeong Il-woong] Living forest spaces will be created in 12 multi-use facilities such as hospitals and schools.

The Korea Forest Service announced on the 29th that it will create living indoor and outdoor gardens focusing on areas with many vulnerable groups to fine dust within residential areas and multi-use facilities.

The gardens will be created as part of the national participatory budget project and will serve as healing spaces for the public, helping to reduce fine dust around residential areas and alleviate fatigue caused by the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

The locations for the gardens include ▲ outdoor sites such as Pyeongtaek Station Plaza, Icheon Special Forces Command idle land, Kongju National University, Mokpo National University, and Jeonbuk National University (5 sites) ▲ indoor sites such as Seomyeon Station (Busan), Suncheon Station, Muan International Airport, Cheongju International Airport, Chuncheon City Hall, Cheonan City Hall, and Chilgok National Cemetery Memorial Hall (7 sites).

The Korea Forest Service plans to continue creating 12 indoor and outdoor gardens annually, reflecting the public's interest in fine dust reduction and demand for improved living environments.

Next year's project will proceed by selecting the final sites after identifying the needs of user institutions and local governments last month and conducting field surveys with the Korea Arboretum Management Service by next month.

Kim Won-jung, head of the Garden and Landscaping Team TF at the Korea Forest Service, said, "We hope that indoor and outdoor gardens will establish themselves as spaces for healing and rest, allowing more people to utilize them." He added, "The Korea Forest Service plans to gradually expand the project focusing on multi-use facilities in urban areas and COVID-19 related facilities to improve the quality of life for the public."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.