Hamyang Sangnim Forest

Hamyang Sangnim is a forest said to have been planted along a riverbank by the scholar Choe Chi-won, while he was governor of Hamyang in late Silla, to protect the town from floods. It is considered the oldest man-made forest in Korea and was designated a Natural Monument in 1962. Today some 20,000 trees shade the walking paths of a park on the edge of Hamyang-eup, and locals call it "the thousand-year forest".

A forest planted against floods

Tradition says that during the reign of Queen Jinseong (r. 887–897), Choe Chi-won, then governor of Cheollyeong-gun (today's Hamyang), diverted the Wicheon stream, built an embankment and planted trees along it. At the time the stream ran through the middle of town and flooded often. Joseon-era records call the woodland Daegwallim.

It was once a single long belt of forest, but floods breached the middle and split it into an upper forest, Sangnim, and a lower one, Harim. Harim was destroyed and survives only in traces, while Sangnim keeps its old character. One view holds that the final split came with the great flood of 1936. Inside the forest stands a memorial stele to Choe Chi-won, erected by his descendants in 1923.

What to see

• The trees: Oaks such as oriental white oak and konara oak, together with hornbeam, form the heart of the forest, tangled with crimson glory vine and kudzu so that it feels like a deep valley wood. A 1993 survey recorded 116 plant species.
• Pavilions and old monuments: Pavilions such as Saunjeong, Hwasujeong and Choseonjeong are scattered along the paths, and the forest also holds an anti-foreigner stele from the time of the Heungseon Daewongun, the Ieun-ri stone Buddha and a water mill.
• Sangnim Lotus Field: A large lotus field next to the forest fills with blooms in summer.
• Wicheon embankment: Walk along the stream outside the forest for views of the woods beyond the weir and bridges.

From Daegwallim to Sangnim Park

Kim Jong-jik, who served as magistrate of Hamyang in the Joseon period, wrote a poem in 1474 about drinking wine in Daegwallim while the late-autumn trees glowed like jade. "Daegwan" refers to the magistrate's office, which fits neatly with the tradition that the forest was planted by Governor Choe Chi-won. In 1923 it was designated a flood-protection forest, also known as the Wicheon protection forest, and by the 1930s local people were calling it Sangnim Park, a place for their daily walks.

Besides Choe Chi-won's stele, the forest gathers several modern monuments, including memorials to the independence fighters Ha Seung-hyeon and Kim Han-ik, a March First Movement memorial and a statue of General Gwon Seok-do, so it doubles as an outdoor record of local history. The vanished Harim was relaid as Harim Park in 2009, and Hamyang County is working on a project to reconnect the upper and lower forests.

Tripto tips

• Access: Open at all times, every day, with free admission. There is a car park and toilets.
• When to go: In summer for deep shade and lotus flowers; in autumn for the colours of the oaks and the red spider lilies that carpet the forest floor.
• Time needed: 1–2 hours for a loop through the forest and a look at the lotus field.
• Location: On the Wicheon on the western edge of central Hamyang-eup, close to the town centre. Because the forest grew along a flat embankment, the paths are easy going for older visitors and children.
• Information: +82-55-960-5756.