Yangjae Citizen ForestClaimed by the owner

Yangjae Citizen's Forest is a park in Seocho District, Seoul. Its official name is now Maeheon Citizen's Forest, adopted in October 2022, using the art name of Korean independence activist Yun Bong-gil. The park was described in the original overview as the first park in Korea built around the concept of a forest, with dense woods uncommon in the city center. Admission is free, the park is about 200 metres from exit 1 of Yangjae Citizen's Forest station, and it has parking for 571 cars.

Construction and layout

The land was prepared in July 1983 as part of the Gaepo-dong Land Arrangement Plan, ahead of the 1986 Asian Games and 1988 Seoul Olympics, to improve the area around what was then Yangjae tollgate, a gateway into Seoul. Construction continued for about three years and was completed on November 30, 1986. The total area is 358,992 square metres. About 70 species and 250,000 trees are planted in the park, including pine, zelkova, sugar maple, Japanese horse chestnut, and Korean pine. Major facilities include a Grass Field, an Octagonal Pavilion, and a Pagora (wisteria trellis), along with tennis and basketball courts, a parking lot, a children's playground, and an outdoor wedding hall.

Sections of the park

North of Maeheon-ro, the park has the Yun Bong-gil Memorial Hall, a floor fountain, and a children's playground, an area families with children often visit. Yun is regarded in South Korea as a figure of the independence movement for his role in the 1932 Hongkou Park Incident, where he attacked Japanese colonial and military leadership and was subsequently executed. South of Maeheon-ro, the park holds a memorial tower to the Baekma unit, a memorial to the 115 people killed in the 1987 bombing of Korean Air Flight 858 over the Andaman Sea, a memorial to the 502 people killed in the 1995 Sampoong Department Store collapse, and a memorial to the victims of the Umyeonsan landslide. A third section, developed by Seocho District as a culture and arts park, includes a play area, an outdoor performance stage, exhibition spaces, a sculpture park, and a meeting plaza, and hosts performances and exhibitions.