"Completion Targeted for 2027" Korea Forest Service Accelerates Creation of National Saemangeum Arboretum

The Korea Forest Service is accelerating the creation of the National Saemangeum Arboretum. The Saemangeum Arboretum aims to be completed by 2027, with the goal of establishing a new carbon sink.

On January 12, the Korea Forest Service announced that it has secured a final budget of 87.8 billion won for the Saemangeum Arboretum project this year.

A bird's-eye view of the National Saemangeum Arboretum. The Saemangeum Arboretum is scheduled to be completed next year. Provided by the Korea Forest Service

The total project cost is expected to reach 211.5 billion won. Of this, this year's budget has been finalized at a level that is 263.7% higher than last year's 24.2 billion won. The budget increase was determined by comprehensively considering the importance of a coastal arboretum in responding to the climate crisis and the need to intensively allocate construction funds for completion next year.

The Saemangeum Arboretum is the first coastal arboretum in Korea (covering 151 hectares of reclaimed land) and is being developed in accordance with the Korea Forest Service's "Arboretum Development Plan by Climate and Vegetation Zones." Construction began in 2023, and the current progress rate stands at 38%.

With this year's finalized budget, the Korea Forest Service plans to rapidly push forward with civil engineering works such as the installation of sewage treatment facilities, landscaping projects including planting in exhibition gardens, and the construction of greenhouses, aiming to raise the completion rate to 88% by the end of the year.

Once completed, the Saemangeum Arboretum is expected to attract more than 280,000 visitors annually. The resulting economic impact is estimated at 1.7 trillion won, with job creation projected at 16,000 positions.

Park Younghwan, Director of the Arboretum Development Project Group at the Korea Forest Service, stated, "We will do our utmost to ensure that the Saemangeum Arboretum is completed as scheduled in 2027 and becomes a landmark that drives the local economy."