Restoring Nature

[Anchor Lead]

A village located at the highest point in Jirisan National Park was razed and trees that are indigenous to the mountain were planted in its place. Residents of Simwon Village relocated their homes to make way to nature.

[Pkg]

Simwon Village located right in the middle of Jirisan Mountain at 750 meters above sea level had been dubbed the "first village under the sky." It had been a quiet mountain village existing in harmony with nature before the opening of a road into the mountain in 1987 brought restaurants and lodgings, which caused serious pollution and damage to nature. Increased traffic and man-made noise drove Asian black bears and other wild animals farther away from the village and to the outskirts of the forest.

[Soundbite] Lee Seung-joon(Korea Nat'l Park) : "The living environment was so bad that when Asian black bear triplets were born, they couldn't come into the heart of Jirisan Mountain and remained on the outside."

Subsequently, the Korea National Park came to an agreement with the residents to pay them compensation and raze the village. Now all manmade structures, including 55 buildings inside the village, the access road, and retaining walls are gone. Instead, about 48,000 trees native to Jirisan Mountain, such as Erman's birch, lace shrubs, and Korean weigela, have been planted.

[Soundbite] Yun Dae-won(Korea Nat'l Park) : "We tried to create a habitable environment for wild animals and plants in this area surrounded by Banyabong Peak, Nogodan, and Manbokdae."

In marking the 50th anniversary of the designation of Jirisan National Park, the Simwon Village residents have returned the area to nature where it belongs.