'Gwangjuho Lake Ecological Park' Designated as Gwangju's First Local Garden

"Expectations for Expansion of Historical and Cultural Resources and Tourism Infrastructure"

‘Gwangjuho Lake Ecological Park’, registered as Gwangju City's first local garden.
[Photo provided by Gwangju City]

The ‘Gwangjuho Lake Ecological Park,’ an ecotourism attraction within the Mudeungsan UNESCO Global Geopark, has been registered as Gwangju City’s first local garden.

On the 30th, Gwangju City registered the Lake Ecological Park, located in the upper area of Gwangjuho in Chung-hyo-dong, Buk-gu, as the city’s first local garden. To meet the registration criteria for a local garden, the city enacted the ‘Gwangjuho Lake Ecological Park Local Garden Operation and Management Ordinance’ last August and completed the maintenance of related facilities accordingly.

A local garden is a garden created and operated by a local government, which must meet all related criteria including a size of at least 100,000 square meters, securing more than 40% green space, convenience facilities such as parking lots and restrooms, a dedicated garden management organization, and an ordinance for local garden operation. Currently, 10 sites nationwide are registered as local gardens, and Gwangjuho Lake Ecological Park is the 11th local garden.

Since its opening in March 2006, Gwangjuho Lake Ecological Park has attracted an average of 300,000 visitors annually. It has established itself as a representative local tourist destination, being featured in the Korea Tourism Organization’s ‘125 Safe Inbound Tourist Destinations in Korea from 2001 to 2022’ and the Korea Forest Service’s ‘50 Beautiful Urban Forests of 2024.’

The Gwangjuho Lake Ecological Park boasts excellent natural scenery and plant resources, including 52,000 trees, 155,000 herbaceous plants, ecological ponds, a hibiscus garden, an observatory, and deck walking trails. Notably, the representative themed facilities, ‘Silent Time - DMZ Forbidden Flower Garden’ and ‘Haewuso - A Place to Empty the Mind’ by artist Hwang Ji-hae, have been refurbished, allowing visitors to appreciate even higher-quality garden artworks. Additionally, the park operates a ‘Stamp Tour’ exploring major facilities within the ecological park and the ‘Let’s Play at the Lake Ecological Park’ program, which educates visitors about the ecological environment and historical culture, gaining popularity among visitors.

Jung Gang-wook, Director of the Green Policy Division of Gwangju City, said, “Gwangjuho Lake Ecological Park, registered as Gwangju’s first local garden, preserves the beauty of nature and diverse ecosystems,” adding, “We expect it to greatly contribute to expanding local tourism infrastructure along with surrounding historical and cultural resources.”