Seoul Forest Park — Open Corners

Seoul Forest Park is a glorious 3,000 acre green space nestled between city high rises and the edge of the Han River. Originally an old royal hunting ground, it is the third largest park in Seoul and known for cherry blossom viewing in the spring, a Gingko tree forest for stunning fall foliage, and secret garden spaces.

We arrived early to avoid the heat and enjoy the morning light. Honestly, there may have been a bit of jet lag in play and since this place is open 24 hours, it was one of the few places we could visit when we got up. Coming this early, there was barely anyone here.

One of the features that Seoul Forest Park is known for is its ginkgo tree forest where visitors can walk down a narrow stone path between the trees. The foliage is extra beautiful in the fall when the leaves start to change color. You can tell a ginkgo tree by its fan-shaped leaves.

We arrived in a hotter-than-average September. While definitely not cherry blossom season (or peony and poppy season for that matter), there were still some blooms to be found.

In the spring, there are several areas in the park to find cherry blossoms and this is one of them. Even without the cherry blossoms, it is still an idyllic spot.

Green things aren’t the only things that live here. Seoul Forest park is also home to deer. There is even a vending machine where you can buy food for them.

An overhead footbridge took us over the deer enclosure for even better views without the fences.

Hiding from the sun and waiting for the keepers to finish the daily sweeping of their enclosure. There is also and Insect Garden, Butterfly Garden, and a small animal enclosure.

One of the largest K-Pop companies, SM Entertainment, is a few blocks away from the park, so some K-pop stars have been known to visit here and do some filming. Supposedly, this is where Aespa’s Winter has a secret bench which she visits where we also found trees with thorns and a witch’s house.

Taking in some final peaceful photo spots before leaving to explore more of this exciting city!