Comprehensive evaluation of 49 experience centers nationwide... Recognized for facility operations, tourism-linked programs, and promotional performance, earning the honor of being named an 'Excellent Institution'
Jinju City in South Gyeongsang Province announced on the 5th that 'Wolasan Woodland' had been selected as an 'Excellent Institution' in the '2025 Outstanding Wood Culture Experience Center Evaluation'.
The '2025 Outstanding Wood Culture Experience Center Evaluation', hosted by the Korea Forest Service and organized by the Wood Culture Promotion Association, selects winners by comprehensively screening 49 experience centers nationwide based on criteria such as revitalization of facility operations, originality of programs linked to local tourism, and promotional performance.
By being selected as an Excellent Institution this time, 'Wolasan Woodland' has once again had its status recognized as a top-tier hub facility for promoting the use of wood nationwide.
In addition, 'Jewel of the Forest in Wolasan', which includes 'Wolasan Woodland', received about 600,000 visitors over the course of 2025, an increase of about 71% compared to 2024, demonstrating that it has firmly established itself as a leading forest cultural space in the region. This is seen as the result of operating a complex forest welfare facility that combines a natural recreation forest, forest leisure sports, and forest education spaces, as well as holding a variety of year-round cultural events that have consistently attracted interest from citizens and tourists.
In particular, 'Wolasan Woodland' stands out for operating various hands-on events that help people recognize the value of forests and wood, thereby encouraging the practice of carbon neutrality in everyday life. At the end of last year, it ran weekend lifestyle woodworking programs such as 'Making a Wood Calendar' and 'I Am a Tree Guardian', using waste wood for woodworking experiences to convey the meaning of resource circulation and the importance of using wood.
It is also expanding customized experience events such as the 'Visiting Woodworking Experience', which embraces everyone from young children and teenagers to adults, transportation-disadvantaged individuals, and vulnerable groups, thereby broadening opportunities for all citizens to experience wood culture.
Moreover, among the forest education programs operated by 'Wolasan Woodland', three had already been certified by the Korea Forest Service, and more recently, 'Little Heroes Protecting the Forest' received new certification.
As a result, 'Wolasan Woodland' is the only institution among local governments in South Gyeongsang Province that holds four forest education programs certified by the Korea Forest Service, boasting the highest status. The operation of these Korea Forest Service-certified programs appears to have played a major role in establishing Jewel of the Forest in Wolasan as a leading destination for forest education in South Gyeongsang Province.
'Little Heroes Protecting the Forest', which was recently newly certified by the Korea Forest Service, is a forest education program under the theme of 'A Life Shared by Humans and Forests'. It is designed so that 3rd- and 4th-grade elementary school students become 'little heroes' who protect the forest, learn about the value of forests, the causes of wildfires, and the importance of prevention, and naturally experience and practice the role of protecting the forest. The program is scheduled to be fully implemented starting in 2026.
In addition, 'Wolasan Woodland' plans to introduce more diverse experiential content by newly developing lifestyle woodworking programs that graft various plants such as flowers and orchids onto wood, which might otherwise feel rigid, thereby adding a sense of vitality. The idea is to allow citizens to experience emotional woodworking that combines wood and natural materials, helping them feel closer to trees and expand their everyday experiences of living together with forests.
A city official said, "We plan to continue discovering unique wood culture programs that are exclusive to Wolasan Woodland," adding, "We hope that many citizens and tourists will visit Wolasan Woodland in 2026 as well to directly experience the value of forests and wood."
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