The city of Busan will open some sections of Haeundae Arboretum from the 20th of this month, giving a sneak peek into one of the area’s most anticipated future travel destinations.

A former landfill located at ​​24 Seokdae-dong, Haeundae-gu, the first phase of the completed section of Haeundae Arboretum will open to the public.

The total area of ​​Haeundae Arboretum is 628,275m2 (approximately 190,000 pyeong), which is about 1.4 times that of Busan Citizen’s Park (140,000 pyeong), with a total project cost of 84 billion won.

The entire project is expected to be completed in 2025.

The Seokdae Garbage Landfill, where Haeundae Arboretum was built, was operated for about six years from 1987 to 1993, generating odors, leachate, and harmful gases.

In May 2009, the city of Busan established an arboretum creation plan in February 2010 after a feasibility examination of the arboretum by the Forest Service in May 2009 and completed the construction of the first phase area in May 2017.

The first space to be opened is about 133,000 pyeong, including a Healing Forest (414,864㎡) 655 parking spaces (24,556㎡), and 190,000 trees from 634 species including zelkova are planted in the forest.

It is also equipped with amenities such as toilets, pavilions, and chairs, and there is also a small zoo where you can experience feeding donkeys, sheep, and goats, so it is expected to be an excellent rest area for family visitors.

The city will not charge entrance fees and parking fees so that citizens who are tired of indoor life due to the prolonged period of COVID-19 can use them freely.

The plan is to preemptively open the completed sections before the project is finally completed in 2025 to provide a walking space where citizens can relax comfortably.

It is open from 10 am on the 20th, and only group tours by reservation are allowed until September.

Reservations in Korean can be made on Busan’s integrated reservation system at reserve.busan.go.kr/index.

It is open only on weekdays and not on Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays.

The city plans to start construction of other major facilities in June 2023 by pushing forward the detailed design of construction projects such as greenhouses, management offices, and exhibition centers, which are the core facilities of the arboretum from next year.

The entire arboretum is expected to be completed by May 2025.