Duung Wetland (Taean)

Behind the Sinduri coastal dunes in Taean, ringed by pine woods, lies a small pond called Duung Wetland. It formed when wind-blown sand piled up into dunes, cut off the sea and trapped fresh water behind them. The open water is only about 200 metres long and 100 metres wide. Even so, it was the first dune wetland in Korea to become a wetland protected area and was listed as a Ramsar site in 2007. It is also the place where an endangered species, the gold-spotted pond frog, made a comeback after vanishing.

A wetland made by sand dunes

This spot was once the seashore. As dunes built up along the coast, fresh water was caught between the sand and the valley of the hill behind it, and a wetland took shape. Dating by the National Institute of Environmental Research puts its age at 7,000 years or more. The bottom is linked to the groundwater beneath the dunes, so the pond rarely dries out even in droughts, and in turn it helps sustain the dune ecosystem of Sinduri.

In 2002 the Ministry of Environment made it a wetland protected area, the first dune wetland to receive that status. The protected zone covers about 65,000 m². The old local name, Dureunggae, is said to come from a legend about two dragons emerging here; when it was written in Chinese characters, it gradually became today's "Duung".

The return of the gold-spotted pond frog

The symbol of Duung is the gold-spotted pond frog, named for its golden-yellow belly. Until 2009 it could still be found around the wetland, but as predators such as American bullfrogs and snakehead fish multiplied, it disappeared after 2010. The Geum River Basin Environmental Office began preparing a restoration in 2017, moving in frogs caught in nearby Dangjin and Taean: 30 in 2018 and 100 in 2019. By 2020 the population was estimated at about 3,500.

Besides the gold-spotted pond frog, the wetland is home to the boreal digging frog, the Mongolian racerunner lizard, the Chinese sparrowhawk and the common kestrel, and Chinese egrets and Korean crevice salamanders have also been recorded. Surveys list 39 bird species, 14 amphibian species, 311 plant species and 110 insect species.

What to see

• Wetland trail: a loop of boardwalk and dirt path takes about 15 minutes. The areas fenced in green are the frogs' habitat.
• Water and marsh plants: water chestnut and bladderwort grow among reeds, silver grass, cattails and sweet flag. In summer the aquatic plants spread widely over the surface.
• Antlion traps: look at the sandy ground under the pines and you will see many funnel-shaped pits dug by antlion larvae.
• Visitor post: at the entrance there is a small post with information boards. When a guide is on duty, you can hear how the wetland formed and what lives in it.

Tripto tips

• When to go: the frogs breed from late May to mid-June, when you have the best chance of hearing or spotting them. In June beach roses also bloom on the nearby dunes.
• Time needed: 30 minutes for the wetland alone, half a day if you add the Sinduri coastal dunes.
• Combine with: the Sinduri dunes car park is 3 minutes away by car or 20 minutes on foot. The Sinduri Dune Centre also has a display on Duung Wetland.
• Getting there: buses to Taean leave from Seoul Nambu Terminal and Central City Terminal. Local buses from Taean to Sinduri run only a few times a day, so a car is far easier.
• Please note: this is a protected area. Stay on the boardwalk and trails, and do not catch animals or pick plants.