New sanctuary reinterprets classical Korean garden on Mount Nam

The Jidangwon pavilion at the Korean Forest Garden on Mount Nam in central Seoul. Courtesy of Seoul Metropolitan Government

Seoul is expanding its downtown green footprint with a massive new park on Mount Nam designed to bring classical Korean gardening aesthetics into the modern era. The 30,000-square-meter development, set to open to the public Saturday, utilizes contemporary engineering — including thermal-filtering glass pavilions and transparent observation decks — to reinterpret the nature-first philosophy of traditional landscape design.

City officials said Wednesday that they will officially open the Korea Forest Garden, a 30,000-square-meter sanctuary, within the Namsan Outdoor Botanical Garden. The site itself carries a narrative of urban reclamation: Once the site of residential housing, the land was razed and returned to nature in the 1990s, setting the stage for its latest transformation into a premier cultural park.

The new layout features 11 distinct zones inspired by Damyang County’s Soswaewon and Myeongokheon — Joseon Dynasty gardens built by scholars seeking refuge from court politics. Those historic sites represent the peak of traditional Korean landscape architecture, which prizes harmony with existing topography over artificial symmetry. Rather than building static historical replicas, however, the city applied modern engineering to channel their nature-first ethos in a way that resonates with contemporary life.

In the Jidangwon garden, a traditional lotus pond and bamboo forest are paired with a sleek pavilion utilizing glass roofing, designed to mirror the moving canopy of the trees while filtering out summer's glare. Nearby, the Namsanmaru observation deck uses transparent glass balustrades and industrial steel grating to offer uninterrupted views of the forest floor below and the Seoul skyline beyond.

The initiative anchors Seoul's broader municipal push to embed accessible, ecological infrastructure directly into its urban core. Planted with native species including Korean red pines, plum trees and mosses, the park also features therapeutic clay walking trails meant to be used barefoot.

“The Korean Forest Garden modernizes our native aesthetic while protecting Namsan’s ecological baseline,” said Kim Young-hwan, director of Seoul’s Garden City Bureau. "It provides an intentional sanctuary where the city's frantic pace yields to a quiet, seasonal rhythm."

This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.