More than 15,800 people visited the three-day event from Friday to Sunday, with families arriving from across Seoul and beyond; about 1,500 books were spread throughout the forest, and Finland's ambassador read picture books aloud alongside a traditional Korean music concert.
More than 15,800 people visited "The Forest Where Books Bring the Most Happiness," an event organized by Seongbuk-gu in Seoul to mark September as National Reading Month.
Seongbuk-gu and the Seongbuk Cultural Foundation partnered with the Finnish Embassy in Seoul and Moomin Characters to hold the event from Friday to Sunday at the Mulbit Garden in Odong Neighborhood Park and the surrounding Odong Forest Library area.
The event drew not only Seongbuk-gu residents but also families from across Seoul and other parts of the country, turning the urban forest into a space where visitors could enjoy books and Finnish culture together.
The Mulbit Garden — which received the top prize at the 2026 Seoul Metropolitan Government Landscape Architecture Awards — served as an outdoor reading space, adding further significance to the occasion. More than 1,000 books were laid out on the garden's deck, including Finnish picture books featuring the Moomin characters and popular titles from Korea and abroad, while some 500 additional volumes — Finnish literature, wellness books and large-print editions — were placed at the streamside rest area and the healing forest deck. In all, about 1,500 books were spread along the forest paths, allowing visitors to read freely in nature at their own pace.
Rare materials were also on display, including Finnish-language picture books not yet introduced in Korea and an English-language Korean grammar book published in 1939 by Gustaf John Ramstedt, a professor at the University of Helsinki. Hands-on programs with Finnish and nature themes drew steady participation as well, with activities including making acorn planters, experiencing Finnish forest scents and crafting hand-knitted bookmarks.
On Saturday, Finnish Ambassador to Korea Jyri Järviaho and a Korean reader took turns reading a picture book aloud in Finnish and Korean in a bilingual storytelling program. A forest concert followed, featuring Finnish music reinterpreted through traditional Korean instruments, offering visitors a chance to experience Finnish culture through both books and music.
"It is deeply meaningful that more than 15,800 people came to Odong Forest over three days to enjoy nature, books and Finnish culture together," Seongbuk-gu District Mayor Lee Seung-ro said. "We will continue to pursue cultural partnerships with countries around the world and provide residents with diverse cultural experiences that draw on Seongbuk's natural and cultural resources."
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