The Dream of Northern Seoul

<**2>

<**3>

This is the 49th in a series of articles highlighting tourism spots in Seoul. The guide for planning weekend trips in the capital city will help readers rediscover Seoul. - Ed.



By Heo Shi-myung



Recently the hot issue in Seoul has been city design. Seoul is constantly making efforts to convert from monotonous gray buildings to streets of plentiful colors and design. It hosts design festivals, makes the streets wider and clearer and then proceeds to build parks.

Dream Forest opened this month. The most northeastern part of Seoul was devoid of green space because of its high density of residential buildings. To solve this problem, Seoul city bought the land in and around "Dream Land," an old theme park, flattened it and created an easily accessible park for local residents.

It took two years to build, and the overall design of the new park was selected through an international prize competition. The opening ceremony took place on Oct. 17.

Dream Forest is situated in Beon-dong, Gangbuk-gu. It stretches out along the bottom Opaesan (123m) and Byeogosan (135m). The sculptures and gallery at the entrance make the park feel like a college campus.

The park opens out onto the road next to it. A stream of water which empties into a pond marks the park boundary. A bridge acts as the entrance, and there is a visitor center nearby.



On the first floor of the visitor center is the Seoul design gallery, which provides a birds`-eye-view of the city. In front of the visitor center one can find a chrysanthemum field, as well as a seven-tier waterfall.

Dream Forest is the fourth-largest park in Seoul after World Cup Park, Olympic Park and Seoul Forest. Wooden planks are laid along the paths to keep shoes clean and contain erosion. The path also provides easier access for the elderly and disabled, especially as the slopes are shallow enough to allow access by wheelchair or electric mobility scooters.

The first building after the visitor center is a Korean traditional house, Changnyeong Wigung Jaesa (Changnyeongwigung Ancestral Shrine). This house is the oldest structure in Dream Forest. The men`s part of the house was the villa of Sin Gyeong-Jin, who served as King Injo`s prime minister in the 17th century. In the 1800s, this building was converted into an ancestral shrine for the princess Bokon, second daughter of King Sunjo, who died at age 14, two years after she married. Later, it became the memorial place for both her and her husband, Kim Byeong-ju (1819~1853).

Kim Seok-jin (1847~1910), grandson of Kim Byeong-ju, committed suicide here after Japan`s annexation of Joseon.

Surrounding the Korean house is a bamboo forest with a path running through it that leads to a pond. This is the heart of Dream Forest. The huge pond features a fountain and a pavilion named Aewoljeong inside the pond, as well as Wolgwang, a waterfall of 7m height, next to it. At nighttime the fountain, pavilion and waterfall are lit up, which makes the world its own.

One side of Wolyeongji laps against a square suitable for night time performances. At the park`s opening, there was a performance with more than 10,000 people on the temporary stage erected on the square. There were so many people gathered that it was worried that the mountain would sink.

<**4>

In the middle of the square is the Dream Forest`s fine art gallery. Children can play in the water of a pond and a stream outside the gallery.

A glass pavilion with a fusion Italian-Chinese restaurant with al-fresco tables can also be found here. The glass pavilion is at the highest point in the park, connected to the rear entrance. There is a musical fountain and small square for outdoor performances here.

From another square in front of the rear entrance where the musical fountain is, we can see Am Bong, one of Bukhansan`s many peaks. One of the park buildings that look onto this square is a traffic broadcasting studio. You can see live broadcasts underway through the glass windows of the studio.

The park`s Art Center consists of two stories underground and two more above the ground. It has an opera hall (283 seats), a concert hall (297 seats), a multi-purpose hall for lectures or meetings, and a gallery for picture or photo exhibitions. It is run by the performance plan team of Sejong Center for the Performing Arts, which plans to display 34 works of art and 45 performances by the end of this year.

Behind the art center is a 50m observation tower. The tower offers picturesque views of Bukhansan, Dobongsan and Suraksan to the north, and Namsan and the Han River to the south.

Dream Forest is not simply artificial modeling and buildings. A mountain path previously used for hiking is located behind the open studio. It has a different look from that of the park`s wooden path, pond and main square. It is a bare-ground walking path, which gives the impression of a deep forest far from the heart of the city. Coming down from the mountain path you can follow it to the park entrance or go down to the main square from a bypath in the middle.

There are convenient facilities for women and the elderly in every corner of the park. Consideration of women`s needs was the first thing they considered when they designed the park. Eighty of the park`s 402 parking spots are reserved for women. Places to rent strollers and cozy nursing rooms are available, as well as a center that takes care of lost children.

The name "Dream Forest" was drawn from the name of the theme park that once stood on the site. Another reason it was chosen was the idea that it could help people think about their dreams. Whatever the reason for your visit, the park will give you a chance to reflect and escape the complications of the city.