Hallim Park

Hallim Park
Hallim Park
	Part of the park (2026)
	Interactive map of Hallim Park
Location	Hallim, Jeju City, Jeju Province, South Korea
Coordinates	33°23′21″N 126°14′25″E / 33.3892°N 126.2403°E
Area	112,397 square metres (1,209,830 ft2)
Created	October 10, 1971
Founder	Song Bong-gyu
Website	hallimpark.com
Korean name
Hangul	한림공원
RR	Hallim gongwon
MR	Hallim kongwŏn

Hallim Park (Korean: 한림공원) is a park in Hallim, Jeju City, Jeju Province, South Korea. It was established on October 10, 1971. The park was founded by local Song Bong-gyu (송봉규; 1931–2023), who developed it from barren land to the present state.

The park contains the lava caves Hyeopjae (협재굴) and Ssangryong (쌍룡굴; alternatively Ssangnyong or Ssangyong; 쌍용굴). They are designated Natural Monuments of South Korea.

Description

The park has an area of 112,397 m². It has 9 themed areas and has a variety of shops, restaurants, and cafes. It also contains the lava caves Hyeopjae and Ssangryong.

The park contains numerous local and imported plants and animals. Famously, the park has a number of freeroaming peacocks. Especially due to the greenhouses, the park has plants blooming year round and is popular with visitors even during the winter.

History

Founder Song Bong-gyu grew up in the area. He developed a passion for plant life while he was in elementary school. In 1971, he liquidated his father's estate and purchased 300,000 m² of relatively barren sandy land that became the basis of the park. While he wanted to make it a tourist attraction, he initially did not receive permission to do so. In the meantime, he worked on developing the land. In 1982, he received various construction permits for tourist buildings. In 1985, Japanese engineers were invited to construct a 695 m² greenhouse in the area; the first greenhouse on Jeju. In the following years, the herb garden, plum blossom garden, topiary garden, wild herb garden, cactus garden, and daffodil garden were established, in that order. Various foreign dignitaries have donated plants that are now displayed in the garden.