Korea National Arboretum () is an over-500-year-old

arboretum An arboretum (plural: arboreta) in a general sense is a botanical collection composed exclusively of trees of a variety of species. Originally mostly created as a section in a larger garden or park for specimens of mostly non-local species, man ...

located in Pocheon city of Gyeonggi Province of

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

. It is widely known as "Gwangneung Forest ()" by the public. It is designated as

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international coope ...

World Network of Biosphere Reserve and the country's 11th natural monument. Its history can be traced back to

Joseon Dynasty Joseon (; ; Middle Korean: 됴ᇢ〯션〮 Dyǒw syéon or 됴ᇢ〯션〯 Dyǒw syěon), officially the Great Joseon (; ), was the last dynastic kingdom of Korea, lasting just over 500 years. It was founded by Yi Seong-gye in July 1392 and r ...

. The planting of large forests started during the reign of

Sejo of Joseon Sejo of Joseon (2 November 1417 – 23 September 1468), personal name Yi Yu ( Korean: 이유; Hanja: 李瑈), sometimes known as Grand Prince Suyang ( Korean: 수양대군; Hanja: 首陽大君), was the seventh ruler of the Joseon dynasty ...

. He and Queen Jeonghui designated the area for a tomb which later named ''Gwangneung.'' Their tomb is one of Royal Tombs of the Joseon Dynasty, a

UNESCO World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...

. Following the construction of the tomb, it and its surrounding areas were designated as royal forest and kept under strict protection which lasted throughout post-Joseon history. The area was devastated during the

Korean war {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Korean War , partof = the Cold War and the Korean conflict , image = Korean War Montage 2.png , image_size = 300px , caption = Clockwise from top:{ ...

. From 1983 to 1987, the central government went under project to develop the area as an arboretum with a forest museum. Upon its completion in 1987, it was finally open to the general public. In 1999 its status was elevated to National Arboretum becoming the first of its kind in the country's history. The arboretum includes the white-bellied woodpecker and 900 plant species.

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External links

* {{Coord, 37, 46, 13.9, N, 127, 9, 39.73, E, display=title Environment of South Korea Pocheon Arboreta Parks in Gyeonggi Province Forestry in South Korea Biosphere reserves of South Korea