[Reader Contribution] Start an Accessible Nature Experience at 'Baegam Exploration Information Center'

Director An Dong-sun of Baegam Office, Naejangsan National Park, Korea National Park Service

As the premier destination for autumn foliage in Korea, the autumn colors on Baegamsan Mountain within Naejangsan National Park have begun to beautifully change as fall deepens.

The serene Baekyangsa Temple and the colorful autumn leaves reflected in the Ssanggyeru Valley create such beauty that about 40% of visitors to the park come here during the fall season.

When visiting Baegamsan in Naejangsan National Park, you can fully experience the autumn atmosphere starting from the Baby Danpung Tunnel at the foot of the mountain. Now, a new visitor center facility has been added to allow more visitors to enjoy nature within this ambiance.

Andongsun, Head of Baegam Office, Naejangsan National Park.

This spring, the Baegam Office of Naejangsan National Park opened the first visitor center in a national park equipped with inter-floor slope access.

The Baegam Visitor Center is distinguished by its barrier-free zone, designed so that socially vulnerable groups visiting the national park can enjoy and experience nature without discrimination.

Barrier-free refers to a social movement aimed at removing barriers faced by socially vulnerable groups such as people with disabilities and the elderly. The barrier-free zone at Baegam Visitor Center is a space where physical obstacles and psychological walls have been eliminated to allow comfortable exploration.

The Baegam Visitor Center is a certified barrier-free facility with a total floor area of 813㎡ and two above-ground floors, and it is the first national park visitor center to enable inter-floor slope movement.

This makes it easier for visitors with mobility restrictions to access and freely move between all floors, allowing them to directly view the treasure-like exhibits displayed throughout the center.

Additionally, the center has signed memorandums of understanding with the Gwangju Association of the Visually Impaired, the Jeonnam Association of the Physically Disabled, and the Disabled Culture and Tourism Center to design exhibition facilities through prior consultations. It has also developed customized exploration programs and is producing multilingual audio service content to provide non-discriminatory visitor services for the hearing impaired and foreigners.

Barrier-free has now become a fundamental value that respects the diversity of society.

Accordingly, the visitor culture pursued by national parks is also evolving.

The Baegam Visitor Center aims to promote exploration without restrictions for all visitors.

People with disabilities can move and engage freely, the elderly can use the facilities comfortably, and children can play and experience freely in a safe space.

“天地不仁 (Cheonji Bulin)” is a phrase from Laozi’s Tao Te Ching, meaning that heaven and earth do not show favoritism.

Nature offers equal beauty to all, and we have the responsibility to share that beauty together.

The Baegam Visitor Center seeks to serve as a new hub facility by providing barrier-free visitor services to all who wish to enjoy and experience nature.

We hope that all citizens who visit here can enjoy the value of the national park without discrimination.