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Forests on the south slopes of Hallasan hold moisture every morning. When humidity rising from the sea settles on the mountain’s foothills, a faint mist drifts between hinoki cypress and Japanese cedar, while the soil beneath your feet absorbs sound. The first thing that changes when you enter Seogwipo Healing Forest is the noise. As the sound of cars fades away, you hear leaves brushing past and your own breathing settle in.
Most people come to Jeju for the sea. But if you drive from there for just about 20 minutes, there is a forest where time feels entirely different.
Along the seiôrum slopes, a forest opened in 2016
Seogwipo Healing Forest is located in the area around San 1, Hogun-dong, Seogwipo-si, on the slopes of the seiôrum. It opened in June 2016. This is not space created by planting new trees, but an area where long-established hinoki and Japanese cedar have grown together, along with old trails that have been refined and set up for healing purposes.
The address is 2271 Sanrok-nam-ro, Seogwipo-si, Jeju Special Self-Governing Province. From within Seogwipo city, the road climbs towards Hallasan, so getting there is not difficult. From Jeju International Airport, you travel towards Seogwipo using Pyeonghwa-ro or Yeongyeong-ro, then enter Sanrok-nam-ro.
Nor-mŏng, swi-mŏng, o-go-saeng-i — paths named in Jeju dialect
What shapes the feel of this forest is the name of the paths. The forest trails carry Jeju dialect names such as nor-mŏng, swi-mŏng, and o-go-saeng-i. They mean “while playing”, “while resting”, and “just as it is, entirely”. The names set your walking pace in advance.
The trails are split into short sections ranging from 0.6 km to 2.1 km. This is not a route aimed at doing a long-distance traverse; it is designed so you pick one segment at a time, walk, sit, and then return. You can combine sections according to your fitness or available time.
If you walk through the entire network continuously it becomes a considerable distance, but the approach this healing forest recommends is close to the opposite. It is about walking briefly and staying for a long time.
Even wheelchairs and baby strollers can enter
Seogwipo Healing Forest was designated an “open tourism destination” by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in 2020. With a barrier-free deck trail and a sharing trail, visitors using wheelchairs and those accompanied by baby strollers can also go into the inner parts of the forest.
Because meditation and forest healing are not only for people with a particular level of physical fitness, this design shows the character of the forest well. When introducing wellness tourism spots in South Korea to foreign visitors, accessibility also becomes an important criterion.
Visitor centre and healing-therapy centre, forest yoga classes
Inside the forest there are a visitor centre, a healing-therapy centre, and a forest yoga classroom. On days with bad weather or when programmes are running, the indoor spaces are used.
Operating programmes are divided into several types: guided trail walks with an interpreter, forest-path programmes run on set days, and forest-healing programmes. Forest-healing programmes include stretching and meditation, along with time spent lying on a hammock and looking up at the sky between the trees.
“Gyeo-ŏng-sut-jul-bo-meong” runs at 10:00am and 2:00pm, while “Jat-dam-gil georeom-eong” runs on Tuesdays, Fridays, and Sundays from 10:30am to 12:30pm. Programmes require advance booking, and each session has a set capacity.
[Image: A person lying on a forest hammock looking up at the sky between trees — PhotoKorea “Forest hammock looking up” / Unsplash “forest hammock looking up” search]
Useful information
Address: 2271 Sanrok-nam-ro, Seogwipo-si, Jeju Special Self-Governing Province (around San 1, Hogun-dong)
Opening hours: Summer (4-10月) 08:00-16:00 (entry), Winter (11-3月) 09:00-16:00 (entry)
Closed: Open all year round (access restricted if weather deteriorates)
Guided trail tour fees: Adults 1,000 won (group 800 won), teenagers 600 won
Forest-healing programme: 12,000 won for adults (depending on the target, a discount of 6,000-8,400 won applies)
Reservation: Make an advance booking via Seogwipo e-ticket (eticket.seogwipo.go.kr)
Contact: 064-760-3067 / 064-760-3031~5
Fees, opening hours, and programme session schedules may be adjusted depending on the season and circumstances, so you should check in advance before visiting.
When is the best time to go
Hinoki and Japanese cedar forests do not vary greatly by season. Still, taking into account the humidity characteristic of Jeju’s southern slopes, early summer and early autumn are best for walking. In summer, the early morning is fine; in winter, midday is generally comfortable.
A forest right after rain becomes more fragrant. It is also the time when the aroma of hinoki rises the strongest. If you bring a raincoat, it is worth targeting the period after rainfall.
A place for a meditation trip
Domestic forest-healing facilities have grown rapidly in recent years. Among them, Seogwipo Healing Forest stands out for combining with a destination called Jeju. For travellers who come to see the sea and the orêum, a day route that naturally includes staying in the forest is created.
This combination is also a strength when introducing the site to foreign visitors. That is because the programme does not rely on formal barriers such as temple-ritual training or yoga retreats; it is simply built around walking, sitting, and lying down. You can also guide visitors by highlighting that the site has barrier-free facilities.
Meditation does not require a special place, but some places speed up the moment when your mind settles. Anyone who has stopped briefly among the hinoki trees knows the difference.
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