Jeonbuk Province Restores Disrupted Baekdudaegan Ecological Axis

Expectations for Restoration of Symbolism and Historicity

Photo by Jeonbuk Province Provided

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Hong Jaehee] Jeonbuk Province is undertaking an ecological corridor restoration project for the Baekdudaegan (Geumnam Jeongmaek) section that was severed due to road construction.

According to Jeonbuk Province on the 31st, together with the Korea Forest Service and Jinan County, they have decided to install a pedestrian overpass-type ecological passage in the Boryongjae section of the Geumnam Jeongmaek, which was cut off by the construction of National Road No. 26, a four-lane road between Jeonju and Jinan, opened in 1997.

Jeonbuk Province expects that this ecological passage installation will promote the movement of medium and small mammals such as water deer, weasels, and raccoons, enhance forest biodiversity by reconnecting fragmented vegetation, and restore the symbolism and historicity of the Baekdudaegan.

This restoration project plans to start construction as soon as the design is completed this year with advice from forest restoration experts including the Korea Forest Service, National Institute of Forest Science, and Forest Restoration Support Center, aiming to complete the project by 2022.

Jeonbuk Province has continuously promoted forest restoration projects with the Korea Forest Service, such as the Baekdudaegan ecological restoration in Geumpyeong-ri, Mupung-myeon, Muju County in 2009, and large-scale forest restoration around Mireuksan in Iksan in 2016.

Kim Intae, Director of the Environment and Greenery Bureau, said, “Through the Boryongjae ecological corridor restoration project, which is a vein of the Baekdudaegan, we expect to contribute to enhancing forest biodiversity as well as restoring the symbolism and historicity of the Baekdudaegan.”

Meanwhile, the Geumnam Jeongmaek section, where this restoration project is being promoted, branches off from Baekdudaegan (Yeongchwisan), passes through Geumnam Jeongmaek, and extends from Juhwasan (Joyakbong) in Bugui-myeon, Jinan County, via Yeonseoksan and Unjangsan, to Daedunsan.

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