Gwanbangjerim

관방제림

It is free, it has no gate and no hours, and it starts at the bridge in front of Juknokwon — which is why it is the piece of the walk most people cross without noticing they are on it.

Language

Gwanbangjerim in Damyang seen from above: the Damyangcheon stream on the left, the embankment road running beside it, and the old broadleaf grove standing along the top of the bank

Place information

Korean name: 관방제림
Address: 98 Juknokwon-ro, Damyang-eup, Damyang-gun, Jeonnam-Gwangju Special Metropolitan City (grove entrance)
Opening hours: open at all hours
Closed: Not published by the operator
Hours notes: An embankment path with no gate and no admission. The entrance is about 800 m from Juknokwon's front gate, and Damyang County's Obang-gil route allows 20 minutes for that stretch.
Time needed: 30 min
Admission: Free

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History

Gwanbangjerim is a forest created to protect the Gwanbangje embankment beside the Damyangcheon stream. Seong I-seong is said to have begun building the embankment and planting trees to prevent flood damage, while Hwang Jong-rim is said to have extended the embankment and established the forest later. The Chuseong-ji, published by Yi Seok-hui, records that annual flooding of the Bukcheon stream swept away more than 60 homes and caused casualties, prompting Seong I-seong to have local people build the embankment each spring to escape further flood damage.

1648
Seong I-seong's embankment and planting (by tradition)
1756
Publication of Yi Seok-hui's Chuseong-ji
1854
Hwang Jong-rim's embankment extension (by tradition)
27 November 1991
Designation as a Natural Monument

Korea Heritage Portal — the Natural Monument 'Gwanbangjerim, Damyang': how it was made (1648 and 1854, by tradition), the 1756 Chuseong-ji record, the length of the forest and its trees, and the designation date (27 November 1991) · Sep 25, 2026

What to see

Forest along the embankment

The forest extends for 1.2 kilometres along the Gwanbangje embankment and consists of deciduous broadleaf trees more than 300 years old, including Muku trees, zelkova, Japanese hackberry, cherry and silver maple. Their trunks measure between 1 and 5.3 metres around at chest height.

Nearby

Juknokwon

The bamboo is the reason to come, but the thing that shapes a day here is that the grove, the embankment forest and the tree lane sit within a couple of kilometres of one another, and the county files that walk under a menu nobody opens.

Damyang Metasequoia Lane

You pay 2,000 won and get 2,000 won back — in vouchers you can only spend in Damyang. It is not the free country road most guides describe, and it is not quite a paid attraction either.

Asia Culture Center

The Asia Culture Center is a national cultural complex that operates the former Jeonnam Provincial Office buildings as a space known in Korean as 민주평화교류원. All facilities other than this ACC space are underground. Indoor facilities are open 10:00–18:00 and outdoor facilities 06:00–22:00. Indoor facilities close on Mondays, while the official information does not say whether the outdoor hours apply on Mondays.

Mudeungsan rising behind central Gwangju, the Gwangju stream and bare winter trees in front of the built-up city, the ridge running gently across the skyline

Mudeungsan National Park

The national park on Gwangju's eastern edge, distinguished by the columnar rock formations near its summit. Mudeungsan National Park applies entry-control times at trail control points. There is no fee, but trails close in bad weather — checking the closures before you set out is the most important preparation for this mountain.

Stories about this place

Suncheon and Damyang Gardens Compared: Tickets, Night Pass and Hours
Suncheonman National Garden, Suncheonman Bay Wetland, Juknokwon, Gwanbangjerim and the Metasequoia Lane compared on how their tickets work, their hours and closing days, and which town to choose. In Suncheon one ticket covers two sites but the night ticket does not admit you to the wetland; in Damyang you buy separately, and the Metasequoia Lane's admission comes back as a local voucher.

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