Pyeongchang ecopark criticized

[Anchor]

A newly opened ecological park in Pyeongchang-gun, Gangwon Province, is embroiled in controversy over poor management.

Hundreds of millions of won in taxes were spent on its installation, but within less than a month, the landscaping works have dried up.

Reporter Kim Young-jun has the story.

[Report]

The ecological park that opened last month in Pyeongchang, Gangwon Province.

The plant clusters in one corner of the plaza have turned black.

The stone pillars, which were planted with moss and flowers, have mostly dried up.

A total of 43 were installed, but it is hard to find any that are still alive.

Some stone pillars are precariously bent, and some have completely collapsed.

[Woo Hyun-gyeong/Pyeongchang, Gangwon: "Since it continues to cost our taxes, I hope it is managed well so that it does not look unsightly to tourists."]

Given the characteristics of moss, which grows in humid environments, it is essential to have a greenhouse to plant these stone arrangements in the dry climate of Pyeongchang.

However, the construction of a glass greenhouse was canceled due to excessive operating costs, and only the stone arrangements were purchased as originally planned.

As a result, the stone arrangements were ultimately placed outdoors, and under high temperatures and low humidity, their growth deteriorated, and with poor management, they ended up drying out like this.

Especially, despite opening in the peak of summer heat, there were no measures such as water spraying devices.

[Kim Bok-jae/Director of Tourism Policy, Pyeongchang-gun: "There were some mistakes. It does not match the temperature or growth environment of Pyeongchang. So we are changing to annual plants and supplementing irrigation facilities and such..."]

Pyeongchang-gun spent 470 million won on this stone arrangement, but it is now in a situation where it may be discarded less than a month after the park's opening.

This is KBS News, Kim Young-jun.