From security tourism site to restorative getaway… Sound meditation park and barefoot loess trail to be completed by 2028
Few people associate the word dam with meditation. The image that usually comes to mind is a massive concrete wall and the tense atmosphere of a security tourism site. Peace Dam in Hwacheon, Gangwon province, has long been remembered in those terms. But when I heard that a sound meditation park would be built there, something inside me quietly brightened. The idea of bringing stillness to a place that carries the weight of a divided nation felt meaningful. As someone who has lived with meditation for many years, I could not help but welcome the news.
Hwacheon Peace Dam to be reborn as a stay-based wellness destination
Hwacheon County and the Peace Dam Office of Korea Water Resources Corp. signed an agreement Sept. 18 at Hwacheon County Hall to develop a stay-based wellness destination at Peace Dam. Hwacheon County Mayor Kim Se-hoon and Peace Dam Office Director Shin Pil-soo attended the signing ceremony. The project was selected through Korea Water Resources Corp.'s competitive program for new local-government dam support projects. Of the total 1.2 billion won budget, the water resources corporation will contribute 500 million won and Hwacheon County 700 million won. The Peace Dam Office will provide project funding, while Hwacheon County will handle administrative procedures and operations.
The direction is clear: transform the site from a destination visitors simply tour and leave into one where they can stay and rest. The completion target is 2028.
Sound meditation park and barefoot loess trail among seven wellness facilities
Hwacheon County will build a traditional Korean circular corridor shelter in the park downstream from the dam and pursue seven projects in all: a sound meditation park, a barefoot loess trail, a light-experience area, a constellation observation area, a healing eco-ride and an unmanned agricultural-produce market.
As I slowly read through the list, I lingered over the sound meditation park. The specific design has not yet been disclosed, but simply imagining meditation accompanied by the sound of the water in the upper reaches of the Bukhangang River and wind moving through the mountain valleys is enough to slow the breath. Listening closely to sound is one of meditation's oldest entry points. As you practice letting sounds flow past without trying to hold on to them, the thoughts that filled your head gradually begin to make room.
A traditional Korean shelter where visitors can rest inside a circular corridor, a loess trail where they can feel the earth beneath their bare feet, and a constellation-viewing area where they can look up at the night sky above a dam surrounded by mountains. Together, the facilities feel less like separate amenities than stages in a journey that invites people to spend a day at a slower pace.
A place to reflect on peace atop the history of division
Peace Dam stands on the upper reaches of the Bukhangang River along the border between Hwacheon and Yanggu. Construction began in response to North Korea's construction of the Geumgangsan Dam in the 1980s, funded by public donations. The dam is 125 meters high and 601 meters long. A large trick-art mural called “The Gate to Unification” is painted on its wall.
The surrounding area is home to several sites that invite visitors to reflect on peace. At the World Peace Bell Park, visitors can strike a bell made from shell casings from countries that have experienced conflict. Bimok Park tells the story behind the creation of the song “Bimok,” while the International Peace Art Park displays decommissioned military equipment transformed into symbols of peace. The Water Culture Hall offers a look at the background of the dam's construction. An auto campground and the Baekamsan Cable Car are also nearby.
The prospect of a meditation park among these landscapes feels particularly meaningful. A place that speaks of peace in the outside world will also allow people to practice peace within themselves. After seeing the history of tension and confrontation with their own eyes, visitors can quietly close them and spend time looking at the conflicts within. Perhaps that is when the word peace finally settles into the body's own sensations.
What a slower journey leaves behind
Mayor Kim Se-hoon said he intends to develop Peace Dam into a leading stay-based tourism hub where visitors can experience nature, peace and wellness together. Hwacheon County also expects visitors' lodging, activities and agricultural purchases to generate income for local farms and residents.
After traveling for many years, you learn that the places you remember are not necessarily those where you saw the most, but those where you stayed the longest. Trips spent taking hurried photos before moving on to the next destination quickly fade, while a journey that gives you enough time to catch your breath in one place stays with you in some part of your body.
I picture people meditating to the sound of water in the park downstream from Peace Dam in 2028. What a sight it would be: beneath a dam once known as a symbol of division, each person finding a peace of their own. I am already looking forward to that first autumn.
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