Suwon 'Yeongheung Forest Park' Temporary Opening on October 1

[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] Suwon City, Gyeonggi Province, has completed the first phase of the 'Yeongheung Forest Park' construction project, which began in 2014, and will open it temporarily on the 1st of next month.

The temporarily opened facilities include a 2.7 km long mountainous trail, a health yard (ground fountain), an indoor gymnasium, a forest playground, and roads within the park.

Yeongheung Forest Park, covering an area equivalent to 70 soccer fields (501,937㎡), features walking paths, a forest playground for children, observation decks, and pedestrian bridges.

Rest areas for citizens such as pavilions and pergolas, ground fountains, and ecological forest experience spaces have also been created. Additionally, there are sports facilities available for public use, including a gymnasium, jokgu courts, and outdoor exercise equipment.

The arboretum (146,000㎡) was developed as a garden-style arboretum by preserving the existing mountainous terrain. It consists of an 'Exhibition Garden' and a 'Collection Garden.' The Exhibition Garden includes the Blooming Garden, Rock Garden, Jeongjo Hyowon, and Rest Garden, while the Collection Garden features the Mugunghwa Garden, Bibi-chu Garden, Hydrangea Garden, and Rare Herb Garden.

The arboretum has over 1,000 species of trees and flowers planted, allowing visitors to enjoy the changing forest scenery throughout the seasons. The 1,980㎡ exhibition greenhouse houses subtropical plants such as Taiwan rubber trees, mangoes, coffee trees, red banana plants, papayas, bird of paradise flowers, and Dendrobium orchids. The arboretum facilities are scheduled to open next spring after a preparation period.

Designated as a neighborhood park in June 1969, Yeongheung Forest Park remained largely undeveloped for a long time due to financial constraints, with over 90% of the park area left unconstructed. Suwon City pioneered the 'Private Park Special Project' nationwide, a method of development using private capital under the 'Act on Urban Parks and Green Areas.'

While up to 30% of the total project area can be developed for non-park purposes by private entities, to minimize forest damage and preserve the existing terrain, the private development area was reduced, and only about 14% of the total area was developed into apartment complexes.

The second phase of Yeongheung Forest Park, which includes the construction of park trails and plazas, is scheduled for completion in April 2023.

A city official explained, "The Yeongheung Park development project is a private development project prioritizing public interest, where the developer develops 14% of the total area and donates 86% as park land. It will become a landmark park featuring Suwon's first arboretum."

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