Gijang County, Busan, "Sparkling! Dokkaebi Village" Forest Culture Event a Great Success

Traditional Games and Forest Experiences Combined
at Jeonggwan Sodubang Park

Gijang County (Governor Jeong Jongbok) recently held a special forest culture program called "Sparkling! Dokkaebi Village" at Sodubang Park in Jeonggwan.

Gijang County is holding the forest-connection cultural event "Sparkling! Dokkaebi Village." Photo by Gijang County

This event was organized by "Greenideul," an institution specializing in early childhood forest education. About 60 participants, including families with young children, elementary, and middle school students, took part in small groups and experienced hands-on educational programs in nature.

The event was inspired by old Dokkaebi (Korean goblin) folklore from Gijang and featured a variety of immersive activities. Programs included the "Dokkaebi Art Salon" for face painting, the "Glow-in-the-Dark Ghost Night Playground," which combined traditional games and straw shoe tossing, and "Mr. Kim's Horn Workshop," where children made horn decorations using recycled egg cartons. These activities received an enthusiastic response from the children.

Other story-based programs were also held, such as "Worry Doll Making" inspired by General Nokdu, the "Hide and Seek" activity with a gumiho (nine-tailed fox) theme, and "Ghost Tarot," which used tarot cards featuring old Dokkaebi imagery. These programs brought the folklore to life for participants.

Gijang County explained that through this program, Sodubang Park in Jeonggwan has evolved beyond a simple resting place to serve as a forest ecological space combining education, experience, and culture. A satisfaction survey conducted after the event showed that most participants expressed high satisfaction and indicated their intention to participate again in the future.

The county plans to continue operating various forest culture programs and to promote "ecological and cultural forest-connection" activities that link the forest with local residents.

Governor Jeong Jongbok stated, "Through a variety of forest recreation programs, we will provide opportunities for residents to heal and enjoy themselves in nature," adding, "Based on these efforts, we will also work to develop Sodubang Park and other local forest spaces as tourism resources."

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