Sangnim Forest, Hamyang

Sangnim Forest, Hamyang, lies along the Wicheon River west of Hamyang-eup, and is said to have been created by Choe Chi-won during the reign of Queen Jinseong of Unified Silla (r. 887-897) to protect Hamyang-eup from flood damage. It was formerly called Daegwallim, but after its middle section was destroyed by flooding it came to be divided into Sangnim (Upper Forest) and Harim (Lower Forest). Today Harim has been damaged, with only traces remaining, while Sangnim alone retains its former appearance. The plants making up Sangnim Forest are mainly oaks such as Quercus aliena and Quercus serrata together with hornbeam species, tangled through with wild grapevine and arrowroot, giving the impression of the natural vegetation of a valley. A survey in 1993 recorded 116 species of plants, and about 20,000 trees now grow there. Sangnim Forest, Hamyang, is designated and protected as a natural monument for its great historical value as the oldest artificially created forest in Korea, and for its great value as cultural material showing the wisdom of our ancestors in protecting farmland and villages from flood damage.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Hamyang, Gyeongnam

Designation

Natural Monument · 천연기념물