Creation of Healing Town with Full Bloom of Hydrangeas at Choansan, Nowon-gu

[Seoul District News] Nowon-gu Begins Healing Town Project at Choansan with Biseokgol Park Facility Improvements, Completion Scheduled for June 2023 & Park Facility Maintenance, Ecological Pond, Hydrangea Garden, Barrier-Free Forest Path for Mobility-Impaired & Aiming to Complete Healing Towns on Four Local Mountains Including Bulamsan, Yeongchuksan, Suraksan, and Choansan ... Jungnang-gu Logo Contest & Create Within 10 Characters Reflecting Jungnang-gu’s Image and Strengths

[Asia Economy Reporter Jong-il Park] Nowon-gu (District Mayor Oh Seung-rok) is creating the Choansan Healing Town around Biseokgol Park in Wolgye-dong.

The project site covers approximately 27,327㎡, including Choansan Biseokgol Neighborhood Park and Mountain 46-3 area in Wolgye-dong. Despite the nearby Choansan Burial Mounds being designated as a national cultural heritage, residents have experienced inconvenience due to illegal dumping of garbage and unauthorized farming.

The district plans to establish a healing town in Choansan to complete a regional healing landmark. To this end, a residents' briefing session was held at Biseokgol Park on the 1st of this month, and full-scale construction will begin after the thawing season next year, with completion scheduled for June next year.

The detailed project plan includes ▲ renovating Biseokgol Park through facility construction ▲ creating a flower garden themed around hydrangeas ▲ and constructing a circular walking trail accessible to people with mobility challenges.

First, the existing management office building next to the entrance of Biseokgol Park will be demolished to enhance openness, and a ‘Rest Garden’ for neighborly communication will be created there. In the existing circular space, new water play facilities favored by children will be installed, along with mist tunnels, forest rest areas, and benches arranged appropriately to transform it into a relaxation space for the whole family.

The outdoor space previously used as a performance venue within the park will be upgraded by laying artificial turf and installing basketball hoops to increase usability. Exercise equipment scattered throughout the park will be consolidated in one place to improve spatial efficiency.

Additionally, the damaged Mountain 46-3 area will be restored with an ecological pond and flower garden harmonizing with the nature of Choansan. Similar to the azalea hill representing Bulamsan Healing Town, the flower garden will be themed as a hydrangea hill representing Choansan Healing Town.

The existing hiking trails around the flower garden will be maintained and connected to Biseokgol Park, creating an approximately 1.3 km circular walking trail accessible to people with disabilities, seniors, and pregnant women, making it a leisure space enjoyable for all ages.

A district official explained that this project is meaningful not only because it can improve leisure satisfaction for residents of the Wolgye area, which has relatively lacked resting spaces, but also because it completes the healing city that the district has been focusing on.

Meanwhile, since the 7th local government term, the district has created regional healing spaces utilizing nature and is now promoting projects that incorporate culture into healing spaces during the 8th term.

In particular, ‘Bulamsan Healing Town’ and ‘Hwarangdae Gyeongchun Line Healing Town’ have become representative tourist attractions in Seoul beyond their local areas, and have been recognized as exemplary cases in urban space utilization and landscape improvement, winning the Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Award for two consecutive years at the Korea Land Expo.

Oh Seung-rok, Mayor of Nowon-gu, said, “Just like the azalea hill in Bulamsan, a beautiful space where hydrangeas bloom will be created in Choansan. We will complete Healing City Nowon with Choansan Healing Town and promote projects that incorporate culture into that space to advance as a cultural city.”

Jungnang-gu (District Mayor Ryu Kyung-gi) is holding the ‘Jungnang-gu Logo Contest’ until the 16th of this month.

The Jungnang-gu Logo Contest was organized to enhance the district’s image and effectively promote local news.

The contest is open to anyone interested in Jungnang-gu regardless of residence or other restrictions.

The content should be a creative and symbolic phrase that can raise the pride and dignity of Jungnang-gu residents, succinctly expressing the warm and caring image of Jungnang-gu or its strengths. The phrase must be written in Korean and be within 10 characters including spaces.

To participate, applicants must fill out an application form and submit it by mail, visit, or email. The application form can be downloaded from the Jungnang-gu Office website. Each person may submit up to two entries, but if the content is identical or similar, only the first submitted entry will be judged. The submission deadline is December 16.

Submitted works will be evaluated based on suitability, creativity, conciseness, and usability through a first internal review and a second final expert review, with results announced in December. A total of 15 winners will be selected: 1 grand prize, 4 runners-up, and 10 participation awards. Winners will receive Seoul Love Gift Certificates worth up to 500,000 KRW.

The winning entry will be used in various district promotional materials.

Ryu Kyung-gi, Mayor of Jungnang-gu, encouraged participation, saying, “Jungnang-gu is a city with warm and caring residents, beautiful nature, and rich historical and cultural assets. We look forward to various phrases that well express the strengths and image of Jungnang-gu.”