[Interview] Oh Seung-rok, Mayor of Nowon-gu, "Seoul's First Natural Recreation Forest 'Surakhyu' to Open in May"

All Eyes on Surak Hyu, Opening in May
A Forest Retreat with Treehouses, Hotel-Grade Facilities, Fine Dining, Campfires, and Starlight

Oh Seung-rok, Mayor of Nowon District

Oh Seung-rok, the mayor of Nowon District, is known as one of the busiest district heads, personally handling even the smallest neighborhood complaints and events, and inspecting project sites one by one. From the busy start of 2025, there is a place that Mayor Oh frequently visits whenever he finds a moment. It is the Surak Hyu (休) natural recreation forest development site in Dongmakgol, Suraksan (hereafter Surak Hyu).

Mayor Oh stated the necessity of the project, saying, “Interest in and the need for natural recreation forests are growing day by day, but there isn’t a single one in Seoul, so people have to go all the way to Gyeonggi, Gangwon, or Chungcheong provinces.”

According to the Korea Forest Service, there are currently 199 natural recreation forests operating nationwide, but none in Seoul. Last year, the total number of visitors to natural recreation forests reached 19.98 million. Although the conditions now call for policy attention to urban natural recreation forests within Seoul, Nowon District began planning this project back in 2018 during Mayor Oh’s first term. Fortunately, there was a suitable unused space in Dongmakgol, Suraksan, which was left idle.

Mayor Oh recalled the planning phase, saying, “Suraksan is one of the most notable mountains in Seoul with good accessibility, but there weren’t many visitors to the Dongmakgol area. I became confident that by improving this area a bit, it would be an ideal location to experience nature away from the urban building forest, even though it’s in the city.”

Thanks to this, Surak Hyu, which is currently about 90% complete and scheduled to open in May, will be the first natural recreation forest located within Seoul and the first urban natural recreation forest in Korea, just 2 km from subway stations (Line 4 Bulamsan Station, formerly Danggogae Station).

Mayor Oh’s confidence goes beyond the symbolism of being the ‘first.’ The facility consists of 18 buildings with 25 rooms, accommodating 82 visitors per day. The highlight is the three treehouse buildings. These treehouse rooms, up to 14 meters above ground, realize the childhood dream of a forest cabin and are designed to maximize enjoyment of the recreation forest. The exterior is finished with natural wood shingles, allowing the treehouses to blend naturally as part of the forest.

The interior of the rooms is hotel-grade. Mayor Oh personally reviewed and tested every detail, from beds and tables to the angle of the window that allows guests to gaze at the night sky while lying down. Visitors can listen to music on a high-end turntable, savor coffee brewed in tea utensils fired at the Choan Mountain pottery experience center, and stroll barefoot on natural grass laid out on the balcony while enjoying the forest scent. At night, guests can relax and immerse themselves emotionally by watching the campfire in the fire pit zone.

To ensure a complete rest in the forest atmosphere, cooking such as barbecuing is prohibited, but the main building’s restaurant and cafeteria are operated at hotel-grade quality to compensate. Recently, in collaboration with culinary researcher Hong Shin-ae, they are preparing to develop signature menus exclusive to Surak Hyu at the high-end restaurant.

Surak Hyu, carefully crafted in this way, is undergoing temporary operations in April and May before its official opening. During the temporary operation period, applicants with special stories are being selected to experience Surak Hyu first. This is to provide opportunities to citizens with unique stories and to identify improvements for the official operation phase based on their feedback. Mayor Oh said, “Even if you miss the chance to be among the first to experience it, don’t be disappointed. Please wait patiently and be sure to visit at least once.”

Currently, Surak Hyu is accelerating landscaping of wide lawns, walking trails, photo zones, and storytelling with unique sculptures beyond just lodging facilities. Centered on Surak Hyu, a circular walking trail that allows visitors to fully experience the charm of Suraksan is being developed, along with remodeling of the nearby children’s forest experience center. Sequentially, the construction of a wood culture experience center for recreation forest visitors is also underway, so Surak Hyu is expected to continuously improve its completeness even after opening.

Mayor Oh expressed pride in Surak Hyu, calling it “a project at the pinnacle of a healing city where nature and culture harmonize in daily life.” He explained, “Bringing pristine nature close to residents’ daily lives to increase utilization and provide healthy leisure is one of Nowon District’s strongest suits. Previously, we introduced ‘gardens’ and ‘waterside’ sensibilities suited to urban conditions, but now you can look forward to how a dense ‘forest,’ which can be called the heart of nature, connects with urban life. The motto of Surak Hyu is ‘Everything comes from the forest,’ so I invite you to experience a day where you can feel that with your whole body.”

The Surak Hue Treehouse in Nowon, scheduled to open this May

In fact, the district has cultivated forest zones in every neighborhood through the creation of healing towns and remodeling of local parks, and this continuous effort has been proven by Nowon being the only district nationwide to win the ‘Korea Land Grand Prize’ for four consecutive years. When discussing garden cities and cities of flowers and trees, Nowon has always been at the forefront. Now, the question is whether it can open a new horizon of forest healing. This is why attention is focused on Surak Hyu, which could be the answer.