When you step into the woods, the sound changes first. In the golden cypress forest on Chukryeoksan Mountain in South Jeolla Province, the trees are so tightly packed that outside noise fades within just a few steps. The ground gives way under your feet, softened by long-collected fallen leaves. Light drops vertically between upright trunks. People who walk through this forest often say they end up speaking less. It’s a place where your breathing lengthens, even if you haven’t learned meditation separately.
This forest did not come into being on its own. It is an artificial forest created by one person who planted trees for more than 20 years.
Chunwon Im Jong-guk, emptied his own pocket—21 years
The golden cypress forest on Chukryeoksan Mountain traces its start back to 1956. Mr. Im Jong-guk, also known as Chunwon, began planting golden cypress and Japanese cedar on a barren, stripped-down mountain, and he continued reforestation for 21 years. It was something he handled entirely with private funds.
The forest he left behind was dedicated in 2002 to the “Hall of Honor for Forests,” and in 2010, the Forestry Administration purchased the core area into state-owned forests, establishing it as a national healing forest. The total area is 1,148 hectares, of which 388 hectares are state-owned forests. It is known that 2.5 million trees—golden cypress and Japanese cedar combined—are growing there.
〈Image: A panoramic view of a forest with densely lined-up cypress tree trunks (aerial or wide view) — Photo Korea, “Jangseong golden cypress forest panorama” requires confirmation of Forestry Administration promotional materials〉
It took more than half a century for a forest that began in one person’s hands to become a healing space managed by the government. Walking with knowledge of that history and walking without it feel different—even on the same path.
10.2 kilometers laid out in six branches
All of the trails are divided into six themes, for a total length of 10.2 kilometers. They include names such as the Oxygen Forest Trail, Sky Forest Trail, and Barefoot Forest Trail. Because each course has different slopes and ground surfaces, visitors can choose one that matches their fitness level and purpose.
The Barefoot Forest Trail is built exactly as the name suggests—an area designed for walking with your shoes off. Walking that directly receives the texture of soil and fallen leaves through your soles is a way of holding your sense of the present in place, and it aligns with walking meditation. The Sky Forest Trail opens your gaze upward. It makes you stare for a long time at the treetops and the sky visible between them.
It’s not just walking—forest-therapy programs
At the National Jangseong Healing Forest, paid programs run by forest-therapy guides are also offered. The lineup includes time spent lying on a hammock and letting your body sway among the trees, meditation focused on breathing and sensations, and activities that awaken the five senses one by one.
The program components, schedules, and fees vary depending on the season. Before visiting, it’s best to check the operating schedule and remaining spots and reserve through the Forestry Administration’s unified reservation system, “Forest e-rang” (sooperang.go.kr). Programs are offered not only for individuals, but also for group participation.
What it means to spend time in the forest
Forest therapy refers to activities that use the forest environment to take care of people’s physical and mental health. In a setting where the scent released by trees, the texture of soil and leaves, and the qualities of light and sound all reach the senses at once, people return to this moment more easily than usual.
There’s a reason the golden cypress forest on Chukryeoksan Mountain fits meditation so well: the terrain and the arrangement of the trees. Golden cypress trees grow straight, and their branches gather higher up, which opens up visibility toward the lower area. Even if you look far away, there’s little to obstruct your view, and the sound disperses between the tree trunks. This is the backdrop that creates a sense of space that doesn’t feel suffocating even if you sit for a long time.
A trip that treats the forest as a destination has a different rhythm from a trip meant to check off sights. What remains is not how many places you stop at, but how slowly you walk. Spending two hours on a single course fits this forest better than rushing through six courses.
When is it best to go?
The time slots that people who look for the golden cypress forest mention the most are in the morning. The air in the forest is said to be at its best between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m., so visitors tend to flock to that window. Another option is arriving early in the morning and walking from the sections with fewer people.
In terms of seasons, it’s different in every one of the four seasons. Because golden cypress and Japanese cedar are evergreen, the forest density stays even in winter. In summer, temperatures under the tree shade are lower than outside, making it good for walking. And on the day after it rains, the smell of soil and the scent of trees grow stronger.
Visitor information
- Address: 778 Chukryeong-ro, Seosam-myeon, Jangseong-gun, South Jeolla Province
- Admission fee and parking fee: Free
- Visitor center hours: Until 5 p.m. in winter and until 6 p.m. in summer (trails are open year-round)
- Program reservations: Forest e-rang (sooperang.go.kr), the Forestry Administration’s unified reservation system
- What to bring: Comfortable shoes, spare socks (for the Barefoot Forest Trail), water, insect repellent for summer
The trails themselves are open for free, so walking around is enough to get in a proper stroll. If you want the forest-therapy program, you need to reserve in advance.
30 minutes for those who walk alone
There’s something you can do in the forest even if you don’t bother to sign up for a program. While walking, pick a spot where there aren’t many people, stop, and sit on a bench or a flat rock. Close your eyes and breathe slowly about ten times. Next, count the sounds you can hear one by one—wind, birds, footsteps coming from far away. The trick is not to judge the sounds, but simply let them pass by.
Sit for about 10 minutes, then walk again. This time, focus only on the sensation of your soles touching the ground. If your thoughts drift elsewhere, notice it and bring yourself back to your feet. This simple back-and-forth is the backbone of meditation you practice in the forest.
Courses that vary depending on who you come with
If you’re coming alone, it’s a good idea to choose one course during a time when there are fewer people and do a round trip. Before heading out, scout out a place to sit in the middle, then stay there on the return path.
If you’re going with parents, it’s better to pick a short segment with a gentle slope. Trails are covered with soil and fallen leaves, so after it rains they could be slippery. If you’re going with a child, another option is to spend more time on the Barefoot Forest Trail. Feeling the ground with your feet is one of the activities children enjoy most.
What you need to keep in mind in the forest is simple. Don’t play music loudly, don’t leave trash behind, and lower your voice near areas where other visitors are sitting. Quiet is an asset of this forest, and protecting it creates the next visitor’s experience.
A foothold as a domestic wellness travel destination
As the government set a direction to grow healing tourism into an industry, programs using forests became one of the core pillars of domestic wellness travel. Among them, the golden cypress forest on Chukryeoksan Mountain is a place that also carries a story about one person’s reforestation history. Looking only at tree density and the completeness of the trail system and learning instead that one person planted these trees for 21 years changes the weight of a visit.
It also has conditions that make it easy to introduce to foreign visitors. It’s open without an admission fee, the experience can be created simply by walking, and the programs can be chosen only by the people who want them. Add multilingual guides and meditation and yoga programs, and Jangseong can take one more step forward as a destination built around “walking meditation.”
