Wonju Seonghwangnim Village Selected as New National Ecotourism Area

Natural Monument 'Forest of the Gods' Seonghwang Forest, High Vegetation Conservation and Ecological Value
7th in Gangwon Province... Holds the Most Ecotourism Areas Nationwide

Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province (Governor Kim Jin-tae) announced on the 28th that, according to the national ecotourism area designation system operated by the Ministry of Environment since 2013 to protect excellent natural environments and utilize them as a key axis for regional development, this year’s newly designated area is ‘Wonju-si Seonghwangnim and Seonghwangnim Village.’

On the 28th, a view of the Seonghwangdang located in 'Seonghwangnim and Seonghwangnim Village, Wonju City,' newly designated as a national ecotourism area this year by the Ministry of Environment. Photo by Wonju City Hall

Seonghwangnim Village in Wonju is the seventh ecotourism area designated in Gangwon Province. Seonghwangnim, known as the ‘Forest of the Gods,’ is designated as Natural Monument No. 93 and is managed as a special protection zone within a national park. Seonghwangnim is a traditional vegetation treasure that preserves an undisturbed natural environment, and it is evaluated as an area of very high ecological value.

With this new designation, Gangwon Province now holds the largest number of ecotourism areas nationwide, which is regarded as an achievement that once again proves the excellence of its abundant natural ecological resources and its value as a sustainable ecotourism model.

Gangwon Province and Wonju City, together with the Gangwon Ecotourism Council, plan to utilize the ecotourism resources of Seonghwangnim and Seonghwangnim Village to raise awareness among visiting tourists about the value of natural ecological conservation, and based on this, increase participation in programs linked to nature protection activities. Additionally, through local residents’ participation, they aim to cultivate program experts and create jobs, contributing to the revitalization of the local economy.

An Jung-gi, Director of the Gangwon Provincial Forest Environment Bureau, stated, “To widely promote the value of the clean ecological resources possessed by Gangwon and to use them wisely, we plan to continuously expand in cooperation with city and county governments, the provincial ecotourism council, and the private sector, aiming to designate ‘one ecotourism area per city/county.’”

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