Yeouido Saetgang Ecological Park

A few steps down from the high-rises of Yeouido you reach a channel thick with willows and reeds. Yeouido Saetgang Ecological Park follows the Saetgang, a side channel that branches off the Han River and wraps around the south of Yeouido, and when it opened in 1997 it was Korea's first ecological park. There are no benches or kiosks, and the smaller paths do not even have street lights, so it feels like a country woodland in the middle of Seoul.

From neglected marsh to ecological park

The Saetgang leaves the main river near the 63 Building, curls around the south-west edge of Yeouido and rejoins it near the National Assembly. Yeouido was once a sandbar that largely disappeared at high water; after embankments were built, this small channel was left along its southern side. It lay neglected as wetland for years until the Seoul city government turned it into an ecological park in 1997.

The guiding principle is to leave things alone. Not even a single flower is planted from outside, and the small trails have no lighting so that animals can rest and sleep. Some sections are closed during breeding seasons. The grass is cut so that visitors can get through, but intervention stops at things like removing a willow that has fallen across a path. The park is maintained mostly with electric vehicles and electric patrol bikes, and in winter a small farm tractor fitted with a snow blade clears the paths.

What to see

• Woodland and waterside paths: more than 7 km of trails link woodland, flower meadows, ponds and viewing decks, and a 4.7 km cycle path runs alongside the channel. Walking among tall poplars, reeds and silver grass, you see the towers only through the branches.
• Cascade: a small waterfall and stream fed with water pumped out of Yeouido Station on Line 5. In summer the sound of running water is a relief.
• Saetgang Bridge: a pedestrian cable-stayed bridge linking Singil-dong with Yeouido. The pylon and cables are meant to evoke a crane spreading its wings, and the curving deck the flow of the Han. From the bridge the woodland below looks like a jungle.
• Wildlife: look for the common kestrel, a Natural Monument, along with spot-billed ducks and grey herons; Chinese minnows live in the water. The visitor centre has also run a programme breeding fireflies and releasing them in summer.
• Wild flowers: in spring look for bleeding hearts with their rows of heart-shaped flowers; in summer evening primroses, which open at night, and white daisy fleabane line the paths.

Tripto tips

• Getting there: Saetgang Station (Line 9 and the Sillim Line) is the closest. You can also walk in from Yeouido Station (Lines 5 and 9), Daebang Station (Line 1) or Dangsan Station (Line 2), or cross Saetgang Bridge from Singil Station (Lines 1 and 5).
• Time needed: about an hour for one section, close to two hours for the whole park. It links easily with Yeouido Park and Yeouido Hangang Park.
• When to go: May and June for deep green, and autumn for reeds and silver grass. Birds are easiest to see early in the morning.
• Good to know: there is no admission fee, but the small trails are unlit and get dark after sunset. There are no shops, so bring water. For nature programmes, contact the Yeouido Saetgang Visitor Centre (02-3780-0570).