New National Natural Recreation Forest Established in the Gamaksan Area of Paju

A new national natural recreation forest will be established in the Gamaksan area of Paju.

The National Natural Recreation Forest Management Office announced on the 12th that it will begin the construction project of the National Gamaksan Natural Recreation Forest on the 1st of next month.

Aerial perspective of the Gamaksan Natural Recreation Forest facility plan. Provided by the National Natural Recreation Forest Management Office.

The Gamaksan Natural Recreation Forest is planned to be developed on a 33-hectare site in Gaekhyeon-ri, Jeokseong-myeon, Paju-si, Gyeonggi-do, with a national budget of 8.6 billion KRW.

To practice carbon neutrality, the Recreation Forest Management Office will actively use domestic timber in the construction of the Gamaksan Natural Recreation Forest, and after completion, plans to utilize it as a distinctive tourism resource linked with nearby attractions such as the Gamaksan Suspension Bridge and the Tourism Theme Park.

The newly established Gamaksan Natural Recreation Forest had faced delays in the construction project due to the presence of a Ministry of National Defense shooting range nearby.

However, recently, through cooperation among the National Assembly, the Ministry of National Defense, and the Korea Forest Service, it was decided to convert the Gaekhyeon-ri shooting range into a tactical training ground, enabling the establishment of the Gamaksan Natural Recreation Forest.

The conversion of the shooting range into a tactical training ground is also expected to alleviate noise pollution suffered by Gaekhyeon-ri residents from the shooting range.

Kim Myung-jong, Director of the Natural Recreation Forest Management Office, said, “We are grateful to the National Assembly, the Ministry of National Defense, Paju City, and local residents for supporting the establishment of the first national natural recreation forest in the northern Gyeonggi region,” and added, “We will ensure that the Gamaksan Natural Recreation Forest becomes a representative forest tourism resource for the northern Gyeonggi area after its completion.”