Naksan Park

Date

December 1997 (Naksan Park design/planning);July 1998-June 2002 (The Planting 10-million Trees of Life project)

Location

Asia->South Korea->Seoul (special city)->Seoul

Description

Seoul was established in accordance with Feng-shui 600 years ago. Naksan (mountain) was one of the inner guardian mountains on the east, which is symbolically called "Blue Dragon." Despite its historic significance, gradually the natural beauty of the mountain has been destroyed, especially since Japan controlled Korea in 1905.
The Naksan restoration project included creating a new park and reinstating its vista by demolishing the high-rise apartment complexes that blocked the view. Naksan park contains castle wall ruins, plazas, sports facilities, and an old temple called "Wongaksa."
Naksan Park was created as a part of the Planting 10-million Trees of Life (also called Trees of Life Campaign) project. The project was organized by both city and administrative districts of Seoul to achieve six goals: Greening neighborhoods, preserving and creating an urban greenbelt, reforesting barren lands and edges of natural parks, enhancing citizen participation, promoting a green maintenance system, and establishing a Green policy. Forty-seven urban outdoor spaces, which include urban parks, ecological parks, pedestrian walkways, gardens, pocket parks, public plazas, and roof gardens were introduced.

Park address: San 2-10 Dongsung-dong, Jongro-gu, Seoul, South Korea.
Developer: Ssangyong Engineering & Construction, Co.
Contributed by Eui-je Lim, PhD.

---