Seoul Forest, Daejeon Hanbat Arboretum and 4 Other Forest Tourism Sites Included in 'Korea Tourism 100'

by Jeong Ilwoong

Published 17 Dec.2022 14:00(KST)

Daejeon Hanbat Arboretum panorama. Hanbat Arboretum was listed for the first time this year in the Korea Tourism 100. Provided by the Korea Forest Service

[Asia Economy (Daejeon) Reporter Jeong Il-woong] Six forest tourism sites have been included in this year's Korea Tourism 100 selections.

The Korea Forest Service announced on the 17th that six forest tourism sites, including the National Sejong Arboretum, Daejeon Hanbat Arboretum, Seoul Forest, Suncheonman Bay National Garden, Ulsan Taehwagang National Garden, and Inje Wondae-ri Birch Forest, have been named in the '2023-2024 Korea Tourism 100'.

Among them, Sejong Arboretum, Hanbat Arboretum, and Seoul Forest were selected for the Korea Tourism 100 for the first time this year. These forest tourism sites share the common advantage of being located close to urban areas, offering excellent accessibility.

National Sejong Arboretum. Sejong Arboretum was listed for the first time this year in the Top 100 Korean Tourist Attractions. Provided by the Korea Forest Service

Conversely, Suncheonman Bay National Garden (designated as a national garden in 2015) has been included in the Korea Tourism 100 for six consecutive years, and Ulsan Taehwagang National Garden (designated in 2019) has been selected for the fourth time this year.

These gardens have been managed with budget support from the Korea Forest Service since their designation as national gardens.

Inje Wondae-ri Birch Forest is a national forest plantation area that was opened to the public in 2017 after installing trails and parking lots.

Since then, it has established itself as a representative healing travel course, attracting more than 300,000 visitors annually, according to the Korea Forest Service.

Nam Sung-hyun, head of the Korea Forest Service, said, “As forests are increasingly recognized as important tourism resources, there is a growing public desire to enjoy the benefits of forests in daily life. The Korea Forest Service will increase investment in forest tourism by creating additional forest tourism sites and maintaining forest trails so that the public can have time to rest and heal in the forest.”

The 'Korea Tourism 100' is selected and promoted every two years by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organization as representative tourist destinations in Korea.