"Geumgang Arboretum, a 30-year-old forest gem in Chungcheong, to reopen"

[Financial News Hongseong = Kim Won-jun] Geumgang Arboretum, which has served as a leading forest recreation destination in the central region for more than 30 years, will reopen its doors and return to local residents. The move follows an agreement between South Chungcheong Province and Sejong Special Self-Governing City to jointly operate the arboretum across their administrative boundary.
On the 16th, South Chungcheong Province said that provincial governor Park Soo-hyun and Sejong mayor Cho Sang-ho signed a memorandum of understanding that day at the lawn plaza of the former headquarters of the South Chungcheong Provincial Forest Resources Research Institute in Geumnam-myeon, Sejong City. Jo Cheol-gi, chairman of the South Chungcheong Provincial Council, and Yoo In-ho, vice chairman of the Sejong City Council, along with other council officials from both local governments, also attended the ceremony and expressed their full support.
Under the agreement, the two local governments will share the personnel and operating costs required to reopen the arboretum, as well as facility renovation expenses. They will also jointly establish an overall operating system covering revenue management and settlement procedures, administrative processes, and other matters.
Geumgang Arboretum, located within the former headquarters of the provincial Forest Resources Research Institute, which opened in 1994 and covers 269 hectares, is the largest comprehensive forest recreation complex in the central region. It includes Geumgang Recreational Forest, the Forest Museum, a tropical greenhouse, and an animal village. South Chungcheong Province had planned to sell the site to private buyers in July 2024 ahead of the institute’s relocation to Cheongyang-gun and closed the facility in June last year. However, after the launch of the ninth popularly elected administration, the province shifted its policy toward ensuring public access and public value, leading to the decision to reopen the site.
South Chungcheong Province plans to officially reopen the arboretum in January next year after inspecting and repairing its facilities. Before then, outdoor areas—including the exhibition gardens, the red-clay Meta Trail, walking paths, and rest facilities—will be temporarily opened free of charge starting on the 21st of this month, ahead of the Chuseok holiday.
The site will also undergo a major functional overhaul. The Forest Museum will be remodeled into an exhibition center for forest culture and ecology education, while the aging tropical greenhouse will be converted into a botanical garden featuring native plants from southern temperate regions and Jeju. The animal village, whose operational effectiveness was considered low, will close and be transformed into a forest education and experience facility for children. Lodging facilities, including forest cabins, within the 184-hectare Geumgang Recreational Forest will be operated in stages after a comprehensive safety inspection.
South Chungcheong Governor Park Soo-hyun said, "Geumgang Arboretum is a valuable public asset that should be enjoyed by South Chungcheong Province, Sejong, and indeed by the entire nation. We will work with Sejong Special Self-Governing City to preserve this forest for everyone, transcending administrative boundaries, and cultivate it into a forest for the next 100 years."
Meanwhile, the agreement to reopen and jointly operate Geumgang Arboretum is being viewed as the first exemplary case of local governments resolving the long-standing issue of "a mismatch between administrative boundaries and ownership" through mutually beneficial cooperation since Sejong City was established in 2012. The former provincial Forest Resources Research Institute site where the arboretum is located falls within Geumnam-myeon, Sejong City, administratively, but South Chungcheong Province holds ownership of the land. Disputes over how to use and manage the site have continued since the decision was made to relocate the institute to Cheongyang-gun.
[email protected] Kim Won-jun Reporter