On most weekends, Kim Jin-Tae, a retired high school English teacher in Seoul, South Korea, can be found exploring the lush forests that dot the city. At 63 years old, Kim has been a devoted hiker for more than four decades.
"I don’t quite understand myself why I am so drawn by forests,” he said when asked about the allure of hiking. “All I know is that as soon I enter a forest, I just feel good. Nothing else feels the same way.”
Kim is one of the millions of people in Seoul who love to spend time in the city’s rich green spaces. According to a survey from 2021, seven out of ten residents visited a forest at least once a month.
The availability of forests plays a big role in Korean’s love for hiking. Two-thirds of South Korea is covered by forests, making it one of the top countries in the world for forest coverage. Despite being a densely populated city of 10 million, a quarter of Seoul's land is also forested, offering residents a glimpse of tree-covered mountain ranges amidst the cityscape.
The Korean language itself reflects the ubiquitous and intimate connection the people have with forests. The common Korean word "뒷산," meaning "the forest behind the home," encapsulates the affection and sense of ownership people have for the forests in their neighborhoods.
Seoul's Disappearing Forests
21,000
20,000
19,000
Since 1965, Seoul lost 5,500 hectares of forest
area. This is equivalent to
16 times
the size of
Central Park in New York City.
18,000
17,000
16,000
15,323
15,000
1965
1970
1975
1980
1985
1990
1995
2000
2005
2010
2015
2020
Numbers from 1975 and 1980 are interpolated from neighboring years.
Source
:
Korea Forest Service
Seoul's Disappearing Forests
21,000
20,000
Since 1965, Seoul lost
5,500 hectares of forest area.
This is equivalent to
16 times the size of Central
Park in New York City.
19,000
18,000
17,000
16,000
15,000
1970
1980
1990
2000
2010
2020
Numbers from 1975 and 1980 are interpolated from
neighboring years.
:
Source
Korea Forest Service
Seoul's Disappearing Forests
21,000
21,000
Since 1965, Seoul lost 5,500 hectares
of forest area. This is equivalent to
16 times the size of Central Park
in New York City.
19,000
18,000
17,000
16,000
15,323
15,000
1970
1980
1990
2000
2010
2020
Numbers from 1975 and 1980 are interpolated from
neighboring years.
:
Source
Korea Forest Service
Seoul's Disappearing Forests
21,000
20,000
Since 1965, Seoul lost 5,500 hectares of forest
19,000
area. This is equivalent to
16 times
the size of
Central Park in New York City.
18,000
17,000
16,000
15,323
15,000
1970
1980
1990
2000
2010
2020
Numbers from 1975 and 1980 are interpolated from neighboring years.
Source
:
Korea Forest Service
Despite the deeply ingrained cultural significance, Seoul's cherished forests are facing an alarming decline without a clear sign of recovery. This trend, which started over five decades ago, is only being exacerbated by the rampant construction of new housing developments.
The incessant pressure to increase housing supply has driven politicians, developers, and landowners to transform the foothills of forests into high-rise apartments with a view. Conservationists and forest management experts fear that the benefits of city forests are not receiving enough attention or protection.
New housing development is a main driver of deforestation
The data from Korea Forest Service shows that Seoul has lost more than 5,500 hectares of forest area since 1965, a staggering loss of an area equivalent to 16 times of Central Park in New York City.
In 2022, researchers from The Seoul Institute surveyed experts on what they believed were the key drivers of deforestation in Seoul. Two-thirds of the respondents cited housing development projects as the main cause. While farming and various non-residential building projects also made the list, they were minimal compared to housing development.
Han Bong-Ho, a professor at the University of Seoul School of Landscape Architecture, explained that the health of Seoul’s forests is intimately linked to the city’s real estate and housing policy.
“For the past several years, the government’s top priority has been to increase the housing supply as much as possible to tame the soaring housing prices,” Han explained. “This resulted in extensive housing development in previously protected areas, especially in the outskirts of Seoul.”
In a densely populated city like Seoul, it is unsurprising that housing prices are often on people’s minds. In recent years, the issue has become increasingly urgent as prices skyrocketed to new heights. In 2021, a survey by Kyung Hyang Daily revealed that housing prices were the top social issue South Koreans were concerned about.
While increasing supply is an essential part of housing affordability, Han believes that the real estate market has turned into a reckless profit-driven machine. “Profit from the real estate business is at the center of all this new development project,” he said. “Politicians, land owners, and developers are hyper-focused on maximizing the returns on these projects.”
The development surge has dramatically transformed many areas of Seoul’s landscape. The city outskirts, once characterized by low-rise residential buildings, are now dotted with towering skyscrapers that are a recent addition.