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Nowon-gu (Mayor Oh Seung-rok) announced that it will offer an overnight experience at Seoul's first natural recreation forest (hereinafter Surak Hyu) through a story contest.
Surak Hyu is a natural recreation forest newly established by the district in Dongmakgol, Suraksan Mountain, which is covered with dense forest. According to the Korea Forest Service, there are currently 199 natural recreation forests nationwide (46 national, 129 public, 24 private), and a total of 19.98 million people used them last year. This number is close to 40% of the total population of Korea, and demand is steadily increasing.
However, there are no natural recreation forests located in the urban centers of large cities including Seoul, and Surak Hyu, created by the district, is about to open as the first in Seoul.
Suraksan Natural Recreation Forest Surak Hyu is composed of a visitor center, individual lodging buildings, treehouses, a restaurant, and a cafeteria on a 9,800㎡ site. The daily capacity is about 82 people in 25 rooms.
Before the official opening of Surak Hyu in May, the district decided to offer an overnight experience opportunity to applicants through a story contest. Citizens with special stories will be invited in advance during the pilot operation period, and their usage reviews and satisfaction survey results will be used to improve the official operation. Any Seoul citizen can apply through the Nowon-gu Office website.
The application themes are 'A story about wanting to stay in a treehouse' and 'Enjoyable experiences in the cultural city of Nowon,' and applications will be accepted from the 24th to March 7th.
Ten applicants (teams) with stories suitable and creative for the themes will be able to stay on their preferred dates during the pilot operation period in April and May. One applicant (team) will be assigned the representative facility of Surak Hyu, the 'treehouse,' two applicants (teams) will be assigned six-person rooms, and seven applicants (teams) will be assigned four-person rooms.
Surak Hyu boasts excellent accessibility, being 2 km from Bulgamsan Station (formerly Danggogae Station) on Subway Line 4, and symbolizes Seoul's first natural recreation forest. It is also equipped with outstanding facilities to welcome visitors. Rooms with skylights above the bed allow guests to gaze at the stars in the night sky, there is a yard space for enjoying a fire pit, and treehouses built up to 14 meters above ground attract much attention. Recently, a business agreement was signed with Hong Shin-ae Cooking Research Institute (CEO Hong Shin-ae), announcing plans to operate a high-end restaurant and cafeteria.
Mayor Oh Seung-rok said about Surak Hyu, "This project is the pinnacle of creating a healing city where nature and culture blend into everyday life," and added, "I hope everyone enjoys a day to fully feel and empathize with the saying, 'Everything comes from the forest.'"
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