Jeonbuk Province Holds the Most Nationally Designated Forest Cultural Assets in the Country

Imsil 'Jangje Murim' and Gunsan 'Jangja Halmae Rock' Newly Designated... Increasing to 18 Sites, Accounting for 22% Nationwide

[Jeonju=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Kim Han-ho] Jeonbuk Province announced on the 14th that through the Korea Forest Service's National Forest Cultural Assets Designation Review Committee, two sites?‘Jangjemurim’ in Bangsu-ri, Gwanchon-myeon, Imsil-gun, and ‘Jangja Halmae Rock’ in Gunsan under the jurisdiction of Jeongeup National Forest Management Office?have been newly designated as National Forest Cultural Assets.

With this, Jeonbuk Province now holds 22 nationally designated forest cultural assets, making it the local government with the most forest cultural assets in the country.

Jangjemurim in Bangsu-ri, Imsil is a protective forest created to safeguard the village and farmland. It stretches 1,000 meters in length and 30 to 60 meters in width, with diverse vegetation such as Zelkova, Chinese hackberry, Celtis, and weeping willow distributed over an area of 2.5 hectares along the stream, making it highly valuable for preservation.

It is said that 300 years ago, a couple surnamed Hwang who lived here planted and tended trees to build and protect embankments as flood control and irrigation facilities for farming. In 2005, it was selected as a beautiful village forest by the Life Forest National Movement.

Additionally, ‘Gunsan Jangja Halmae Rock,’ located in Daejang-ri, Okdo-myeon, Gunsan City, under the jurisdiction of the Korea Forest Service Jeongeup National Forest Management Office, was also approved as a National Forest Cultural Asset in this review.

Thus, the number of National Forest Cultural Assets in the province has increased to 18 sites: five in Namwon City, four in Jinan-gun, three in Jangsu-gun, and one each in Gunsan City, Wanju-gun, Muju-gun, Imsil-gun, Gochang-gun, and Buan-gun, accounting for 22% of the 82 sites nationwide.

Jeonbuk Province plans to systematically maintain and manage forest cultural assets with high preservation value to inherit traditional culture and utilize them as ecological tourism resources. They are promoting maintenance projects around forest cultural assets, including facility repairs, tree planting, and signboard maintenance.

Meanwhile, since 2014, the Korea Forest Service has been designating and managing forests with high historical preservation value related to forestry, special afforestation sites, roadside trees, erosion control facilities, waterfalls, and intangible assets such as oral traditions, folk beliefs, and customs as National Forest Cultural Assets.

Jeonju=Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Kim Han-ho stonepeak@asiae.co.kr

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