An early morning in Yeongju arrives first with the breath of trees. Before the sun clears the ridge of Sobaek Mountain, damp air settles down between the leaves of oaks and gulleti oak, carrying a faint scent of grass. People who come from the city pause in front of that smell. Not because they do not know what to do, but because the breathing rhythm they had long forgotten naturally slows down. In this place where the spine of Baekdudaegan passes through, a 2,889-hectare forest spread across Yeongju and Yecheon in North Gyeongsang Province holds a healing village painstakingly planned by the state. Its name is Daslim. It means to regulate the mind and body, and it also captures how the forest soothes people.
A forest designed by the state, and what the name Daslim means
The National Forest Therapy Centre is a forest-welfare complex run by the Korea Forest Welfare Promotion Institute. It was created to look after the public’s health by drawing on the abundant forest resources of Baekdudaegan. The total area is 2,889 hectares, and the central facilities district alone reaches 152 hectares. The institute introduces the site as an integrated forest-therapy facility on the world’s largest scale. It is designed not only to provide healing services, but also to host training of professional staff, development of healing products and the spread of forest-therapy culture, all in one place.
The point that sets Daslim apart from other 휴양림 (recreation forests) is clear. Here, it is a place that heals before it is a place that rests. Forest therapy refers to activities that raise the body’s immunity and help restore physical and mental health by making use of various elements of the forest—such as phytoncides and negative ions, sunlight and sound, and the landscape. At Daslim, forest-therapy guides lead the programmes, and visitors do not just look at the forest; they form a relationship with it through their body.
The 152-hectare space wrapped by Sobaek Mountain
The central facilities district sits tucked into the foothills of Sobaek Mountain. In the forest where oak trees and pines and gulleti oak all layer together, the site changes its expression with each season. Inside the complex, a Health Promotion Centre and a Water Therapy Centre, a training centre, an san-yakch o n (medicinal herb garden) area, a healing garden, healing forest paths, and a meditation centre are scattered throughout. Visitors spend a day moving from walking to sitting in the gardens, immersing their bodies in the water, then stepping back onto the forest trails.
The healing forest paths are the framework of Daslim. Gentle deck roads and dirt paths run along the ridgeline, with gradients that are not steep, so older people and patients in recovery can walk without difficulty. On sections laid out for walking barefoot, the soles read the texture of soil and the grain of timber directly. The medicinal herb area and the healing garden are spaces for the eyes and nose. Seasonal plants and medicinal plants take root, so that as you walk the aroma seeps into your body.
A day led by the forest, with programmes built around water, warmth and breathing
Daslim’s programmes are designed to introduce the forest’s sensations into your body one at a time. A representative example is water therapy. At the Water Therapy Centre, the temperature of the water, buoyancy and flow are used to ease muscle tension and help circulation. Warmth therapy raises body temperature with far-infrared rays and is paired with hand massage to boost blood circulation and immunity. It is especially sought after in winter or during recovery periods.
The programmes carried out inside the forest are even quieter in tone. Slowd therapy flows from stretching and walking meditation to breathing meditation, in which you inhale phytoncides, and then to strolling along forest paths. As you slow your pace and focus on your feet and breathing, the noise that had been filling your head peels away one layer at a time. Visitors also frequently opt for “forest-mong” rest, in which you lie back on a hammock and look up at the sky between tree leaves, and for singing-bowl meditation, which lets them surrender their minds to the resonance of sound. Barefoot therapy involves walking the barefoot healing forest paths, then finishing with acupressure on the feet and oil massage.
Programme costs differ depending on the type. Hammock rest costs 12,000 won and singing-bowl meditation is around 11,000 won; compared with the depth of the forest, the threshold is not high. Since forest-therapy guides lead the sessions, even people who are new to meditation or yoga move their bodies naturally by following the guidance.
The table set by the mountain—and the village where you stay
A day at Daslim continues with a table set by the mountain. The dining hall inside the complex serves breakfast, lunch and dinner at fixed times. Meal costs are 8,000 won for adults aged 13 and over, and 5,500 won for children aged 7 to under 13. Meals must be booked at least four days before the date you begin using the service. Cooking, barbecuing, drinking and smoking are restricted within the complex, a principle close to preserving the quiet and air of the healing space.
Accommodation is divided into three villages. There is the Ju-Chi Village for individuals and families, the Training Centre tailored for group use, and the Moon-Byun Village for those staying long term. For those planning to spend a few days and tune their bodies to the forest’s rhythm, Moon-Byun Village suits them best; for those looking to pop by with their family briefly on weekends, Ju-Chi Village fits. Accommodation charges depend on the room type: standalone units range from 58,000 won to 280,000 won, while group units range from 56,000 won to 162,000 won.
Getting there and booking, and things worth knowing
Daslim is located at 209, Therap y-ro, Bonghyeon-myeon, Yeongju-si, North Gyeongsang Province. Because the forest in the complex spans the two localities of Yeongju and Yecheon, whichever side you approach from—Yeongju city or towards Yecheon—you meet a different face of Sobaek Mountain.
From the Seoul metropolitan area, the train is convenient. If you take the KTX Eum from Seoul, you can reach Yeongju Station in roughly an hour and a half. From Yeongju Station to the complex, you move by private car or taxi, and because public transport options are limited, visitors are advised to use a private car. The complex has ample parking space. If you visit without a car, it is safer to check in advance, before making a reservation, how to travel from Yeongju Station or an intercity bus terminal.
Bookings are made through the Forest Department’s integrated reservation system, Foresttrip (foresttrip.go.kr), and the National Forest Therapy Centre website (daslim.fowi.or.kr). Accommodation and programmes open all at once for the following month on the 15th of every month at 9am, and popular dates sell out quickly right after opening. If you have a schedule you want, it is best to connect at the time of opening. Check-in is between 3pm and 9pm, and check-out is by 11am the next day. Personal hygiene items such as towels and toothbrushes must be brought by guests. For facility guidance and advice on usage fees, call the main number 054-639-3400, between 9am and 6pm on weekdays (excluding the lunch hour from 12 noon to 1pm).
Foreign visitors may need a little more preparation in advance. Because the booking system and guidance are centred on Korean, it is advisable to confirm by calling ahead whether they can take part in the programmes and whether interpretation is available. If you visit as a group via a travel agency or wellness tour, you can arrange the forest-therapy guide’s programme to match your schedule through prior coordination.
When is the best time to go, and the forest’s changing faces
Daslim’s forest offers different healing experiences throughout the four seasons. The most recommendable time is early summer, when fresh green foliage rises. During this period, when the leaves are at their deepest and softest, the air in the forest fills more densely. In autumn, the oaks and gulleti oaks tint the ridges, allowing you to enjoy the seasonal pleasure where walking meditation and autumn foliage overlap. In winter, water therapy and warmth therapy warm the body, while the stillness of snow-covered Sobaek Mountain deepens meditation. Regular closure periods and programme operation schedules may vary by season, so it is best to check the official website before visiting.
A milestone for Korean-style wellness travel
Daslim’s specialness is not in the scale or the flashiness of its facilities. It is valuable in that it represents a state-level initiative that designed forest therapy as a public health asset rather than a personal hobby. With the forest and water, warmth and breathing woven into a single programme, and with professional staff guiding the process—and with a village where you can stay for several days—the structure holds up well even when compared with overseas wellness resorts. The difference, if any, is that it is not a commercial resort but a public facility that anyone can approach with a low barrier.
For travellers who come to Korea, if temple-stays offer quiet for the mind, Daslim also plans recovery for the body. This healing village, using Baekdudaegan’s forests as its stage, offers another face of the wellness travel that Korea can present. When the Korea Tourism Organisation and the travel industry choose destinations for meditation and wellness travel, Daslim in the foothills of Sobaek Mountain becomes a signpost visitors can keep close for a long time.
For further details, check the Forest Welfare Integrated Platform below.
https://www.sooperang.go.kr/main.do
Healing News publisher Oh Hye-seon
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