Changnyeong Upo Insect World Attracts 110,000 Visitors in 2025, Setting All-Time Record

Experience-Focused Exhibitions
Opening the Era of 100,000 Visitors

Changnyeong County in South Gyeongsang Province announced on December 3 that Changnyeong Upo Insect World has surpassed 110,000 annual visitors, marking the highest number since its opening.

As of November 30, 2025, the cumulative number of visitors this year reached 114,782 (with a single-day record of 1,675 visitors), bringing the total number of visitors to 440,177 since its opening on June 18, 2018. This achievement comes seven years after a period of sluggish attendance caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Changnyeong Upo Insect World attracts record 110,000 visitors in 2025. Provided by Changnyeong County

In 2022, the facility changed its name from "Upo Dragonfly World" to "Changnyeong Ecological Insect Center" to encompass a broader range of biological themes. It also transformed into an experience-oriented exhibition hall, which led to a gradual increase in visitors from the second half of 2024. On October 8, the center welcomed its 100,000th visitor of the year, ushering in a new era of popularity.

The county attributes this success to its focus on differentiated exhibitions, such as strengthening hands-on programs and introducing new content unavailable at other venues. This strategy has resulted in positive word-of-mouth and an increase in repeat visitors.

In addition, the "Upo Wetland Tourism Revitalization Project" (2018-2023) added an administration building and 105 parking spaces, alleviating parking shortages and improving visitor convenience.

In March of this year, the center changed its name from "Changnyeong Ecological Insect Center" to "Changnyeong Upo Insect World," resolving complaints about confusion with similar names at nearby tourist facilities.

Changnyeong Upo Insect World is a visitor facility themed around the exhibition, experience, and conservation of various organisms. Covering 53,468 square meters, it features exhibition and experience halls (on two floors), a greenhouse, outdoor wetlands, breeding rooms, and displays of various biological and insect specimens, photographic works, plant exhibits, and more than 40 different hands-on activities.

It is also recognized as an educational venue that fosters ecological sensitivity by allowing visitors to "see, touch, feel, and enjoy the wonders of nature together." In partnership with the Gyeongsangnamdo Office of Education’s Upo Ecological Education Center, the facility plans to operate the "Exciting Upo Experience Learning" program for third-grade elementary school students (5,000 students annually) from March 2026 to February 2028.

Since 2022, the center has been restoring and propagating five species of endangered wildlife designated by the Ministry of Environment, and it has distributed eggs of the first-grade endangered butterfly, the Red-spotted Apollo, to four institutions.

Notably, on December 19, the center plans to release 100 larvae into Uiseong County, North Gyeongsang Province, where the Red-spotted Apollo’s habitat was completely destroyed by an unprecedented wildfire in March, thus making a significant contribution to ecosystem conservation.

The exhibition hours are from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (last admission at 4:00 p.m.), and the facility is closed every Monday. Admission is free for adults aged 65 and over and infants under 36 months. County residents and residents of sister cities are eligible for discounts. For more details, please visit the official Changnyeong County website.

Changnyeong County plans to continue developing a variety of content and hosting themed exhibitions and hands-on events throughout the year, aiming to establish the center as "the nation’s top destination for insect exploration" that families will want to visit again and again.

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