Haenam-gun will invest 12 billion won to create the nation's first themed garden path in the Daeheungsa area, designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site. (Photo by Haenam-gun)
[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Seo Young-seo] Haenam-gun, Jeollanam-do (Governor Myeong Hyeon-gwan) announced on the 19th that it will create the nation's first themed road garden in the Daeheungsa area, designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
This project is a campaign promise of Haenam-gun's 7th local government administration and is being promoted to develop distinctive tourist resources by creating a ‘themed garden with rest and fun (Hyu-Fun Valley)’ linked to local resources, and to revitalize the local economy.
In the first phase, the 1.5 km section of asphalt pavement road leading to Daeheungsa will be restored to a mountain temple road (yellow soil road), and a bypass road (car road) will be constructed. The newly created mountain temple road will be a ‘car-free street’ where visitors can fully enjoy the forest and valley, preserving the natural environment of the Daeheungsa forest trail as much as possible to create a healthy walking path.
In the second phase, various themed gardens will be created around the Daeheungsa valley, including a stream garden, and in the third phase, auxiliary facilities and infrastructure will be established. The camellia forest trail and maple forest, which are spaces for rest and relaxation (休), along with fragrant walking paths, butterfly gardens, and stream walking paths centered around the stream, will be created. Additionally, garden stations and expanded infrastructure will be developed in family play and experience spaces and commercial areas.
The road garden project completed the preliminary review of the special account for gardens last year, and is currently conducting basic planning services. After completing related administrative procedures, the project is planned to be actively promoted next year.
Duryunsan Daeheungsa is the head temple of the 22nd district of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism and is a historic thousand-year-old temple designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site. It is a representative cultural tourism attraction in Haenam, densely packed with relics holding various legends such as National Treasure No. 308 Buk Mireukam Rock-carved Seated Buddha, Cheonnyeon-su, Iljiam, Nam Mireukam, as well as Duryunsan Cable Car, Duryun Maze Park, and a well-being food village.
In particular, the psychological forest trail leading up to Daeheungsa boasts a tunnel of various subtropical forests and is renowned for its outstanding scenery where valleys and water harmonize, known as Gugokguyu.
Once the Duryunsan area road garden project is completed, it is expected that more than one million visitors will visit annually, which is anticipated to greatly contribute to revitalizing the local economy.
The county plans to proceed with the project step-by-step according to Haenam-gun's balanced tourism development plan, as the Daeheungsa area has the best conditions for building tourism infrastructure due to its superior environmental resources.
Myeong Hyeon-gwan, Governor of Haenam-gun, stated, “Through the Daeheungsa area road garden project, it is expected to become a representative tourist destination in the South Coast area and greatly contribute to revitalizing the local economy,” and added, “We will carry out the project annually without any gaps.”
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