This week on Jeju: A to Z, with crisp autumn weather upon us Todd Thacker takes a brief look at Jeju City’s popular Halla Arboretum. It offers visitors and locals a chance to get away from their busy urban schedules, even if just for an hour or two.



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With daytime temperatures now dropping into the mid-teens, the island’s trees and plants are turning brown and the leaves are falling to the ground. Autumn has arrived, so before things get too chilly, we’d like to recommend a place right here in Jeju City where you can spend a few hours in the warm sun.

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5 minutes south of Nohyeong Rotary in Shin Jeju

Halla Arboretum is just a five-minute drive south of Nohyeong Rotary in Shin Jeju. As Jeju City expands to accommodate its growing population, Halla Sumokwon as it’s called in Korean, is a place that urbanites can consider their own personal garden.

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1,100 plant species on 20.3 hectares

The arboretum was first conceived of in 1986, when the Ministry of the Environment set aside land to protect the island’s plant species. Opened to the public in 1993 after eight years of construction and a multi-billion won investment, it covers 20.3 hectares and has about 1,100 species of trees and plants.

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sumokwon.jeju.go.kr

This isn’t just a nature reserve or even a beloved tourist attraction, though. Apart from the themed gardens, 3.8 kilometers of walking paths, and picturesque vistas, the arboretum is a place where botanists are actively conducting research.

There are also two greenhouses and a Natural Ecology Experience Exhibition Hall which gives visitors a synopsis of Jeju’s ecology.

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Todd Thacker

Our busy urban lives can sometimes make it difficult to get outdoors. So it’s good to know that there’s a readily accessible, free public space right here in the city that offers up the natural beauty of Jeju regardless of the season.

Todd Thacker KCTV