University of Ulsan
Hong Woo Jin
Imagine feeling nature in the middle of the city. In a busy urban life, a park in the city allows us to relax and heal. In Ulsan, there is Taehwagang (Teahwa River) National Garden. On July 11, 2019, Taehwagang Park in Ulsan was selected as a national garden and it is South Korea’s second national garden.
During Japanese occupation, bamboo was planted at the Teahwa River in order to prevent floods and a small park was formed around the bamboo forest. The city of Ulsan has gradually developed Taehwagang Park for its citizens. They built a walkway where citizens could take a walk, rest, and exercise.
But there were some problems at first. Originally, the Taehwa River was a very polluted river. There used to be a bad smell, too. So, the city of Ulsan tried for a long time to improve the water quality of the Taehwa River. As a result, salmon and yellowfin returned into the Teahwa River and it became a ‘river of life.’
Later, the city of Ulsan tried to develop Taehwagang Park, which was finally selected as a national garden. Teahwagang National Garden has an area of 835,452 square meters, and is divided into eight sections: ecological garden, bamboo garden, seasonal garden, aquatic garden, participatory garden, mugunghwa garden, green garden and convenience facilities.
In spring, the flower garden in Taehwagang National Garden offers a splendid scenery created by over 60 million spring flowers including poppies, cornflowers, and golden coreopsis. It is the largest single riverside flower garden in the country.
Taehwagang National Garden, where citizens can relax, take a walk and feel nature in the center of the city, is one of the best tourist attractions to visit when people come to Ulsan. For those who read this article, I recommend visiting Taehwagang National Garden if you come to Ulsan.
