Seoul City to Renovate Naksan Park Trails and Fortress Walls... Environmental Improvement Construction Until November

Improvement of Usage Environment Including Restoration of Damaged Trails and Fortress Walls, and Vegetation Recovery at Naksan Park, a Night View Attraction

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] On the 6th, the Seoul Metropolitan Government announced plans to provide a more pleasant and safe park environment by renovating the Naksan Park Hanyangdoseong Trail and fortress wall path, a night view spot in the city center, through the Jungbu Park Leisure Center.

Naksan was one of the four inner mountains (Naesasan) within the Seoul Fortress Wall, along with Bukaksan, Namsan, and Inwangsan, designated as the capital by King Taejo Yi Seong-gye of the Joseon Dynasty. However, during the modernization process in the 1960s, indiscriminate development such as apartment complexes and detached houses built up to the mid-mountain severely damaged the natural scenery and historical symbolism.

Accordingly, to preserve the historical significance of the Naksan area in the city center and restore the damaged natural landscape, Seoul started the 'Naksan Restoration Project' in 1997, restoring Naksan to its original state as a pine forest and promoting the creation of a park, which was reborn as 'Naksan Park' on June 12, 2002.

As Naksan Park is known as a walking and night view spot, the city is carrying out park improvement construction to minimize inconvenience to visitors in preparation for many citizens visiting in the fall. This includes repairing the worn-out Hanyangdoseong Trail pavement and restoring vegetation such as trees, flowers, and grass around the trail. Additionally, various maintenance efforts are being made, such as selectively removing harmful trees and ivy vines to ensure the structural safety of the fortress wall.

Furthermore, at the top of Naksan Park, a photo-friendly flower bed has been created with plants that add a seasonal autumn atmosphere, such as silver grass, cocklebur, pampas grass, and golden pyramid, to provide various attractions for park visitors.

Ha Jae-ho, director of the Seoul Jungbu Park Leisure Center, said, “As the weather becomes pleasant for walking, more citizens are visiting nearby parks in the city center,” adding, “We will quickly complete the park maintenance so that everyone can fully enjoy the beautiful night view of Naksan.”