Seoul opens 30,000-square-meter Korean Forest Garden on Namsan

A 30,000-square-meter forest garden opens at the Namsan outdoor botanical garden site

11 gardens arranged across 3 themes

Korea's representative forests and garden elements reinterpreted in a contemporary style

The Jidangwon pond garden, part of the Korean Forest Garden on Namsan. [Seoul Metropolitan Government]

A new garden celebrating Korea's natural beauty and garden culture has opened on Namsan. The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced Friday that it has transformed the outdoor botanical garden area on Namsan — one of the city's signature green spaces — into the "Korean Forest Garden" and will open it to the public Saturday. The garden covers 30,000 square meters, or about 9,075 pyeong (1 pyeong equals 3.3 square meters).

The Namsan outdoor botanical garden occupies a site that once housed foreign residential buildings. It was restored in the 1990s through the "Namsan Restoration Project" and has served as a green space where residents can experience nature and the changing seasons up close since it was first developed in 1997.

The Korean Forest Garden draws on Namsan's natural environment and landscape to express the sensibility and aesthetics of traditional Korean garden design in a contemporary form. The Seoul Metropolitan Government said it planted species representative of Korea — including plum, crape myrtle and bamboo — alongside native plants, and laid out pathways, rest areas and scenic viewpoints that follow the natural contours of the terrain, allowing visitors to experience the forest's seasonal changes more intimately.

The garden features 11 individual gardens organized under three themes: tradition and culture, nature and ecology, and recreation and rest.

The "Forest Garden of Tradition and Culture" comprises three gardens — Jidangwon, Yeongjiwon and Mugunghwawon. The zone offers a contemporary reinterpretation of the traditional pavilions where seonbi scholars once enjoyed the arts, along with a barefoot forest path that evokes the atmosphere of a classical Korean garden.

The "Forest Garden of Nature and Ecology" consists of five gardens: Azalea Hill, Plum Blossom Garden, Moss Garden, Bamboo Grove Garden and Pine Forest Garden. The zone is designed as a place where city dwellers can connect with nature and find rest and renewal.

The "Forest Garden of Recreation and Rest" is made up of three spaces — Pine Forest Yard, Ginkgo Court and Namsan Ridge. The zone is designed for relaxation, scenic views and a leisurely pace amid nature.

A map showing the location of the Korean Forest Garden. [Seoul Metropolitan Government]

Meanwhile, the "Namsan Summer Festival" will also launch Saturday, the same day the Korean Forest Garden opens. The 2026 Namsan Summer Festival invites visitors to explore Namsan's many attractions through a walking event called "FUN&WALK." The event takes participants through a series of themed segments — a water fog zone, a large ice zone, busking performances and a dance-along walking stretch — with simple missions to complete along the way.

As part of the festival, the Korean Forest Garden will host a range of programs, including guided docent tours and hands-on experiences such as making traditional fans and trying tattoo stickers. Professional forest interpreters will introduce the hidden stories of Namsan and the meaning behind the Korean Forest Garden in an accessible and engaging way.

Kim Yeong-hwan, director of the Seoul Metropolitan Government's Garden City Bureau, said the Korean Forest Garden reinterprets Korea's distinctive natural beauty and garden culture in a contemporary way. "As a space that brings together ecological value and the function of rest, we hope citizens will be able to enjoy nature and gardens more closely in their everyday lives," he said.

ikson@heraldcorp.com