[JoyNews24 Reporter Lee Mi-young] As spring blossoms, the Korea Forest Service (Commissioner Park Eun-sik) has unveiled its \"10 Arboretums You Must Visit in 2026,\" recommending them as perfect family day-trip destinations.
Each year the agency picks representative arboretums around a theme to showcase their value and encourage public engagement. This year’s theme—Arboretums Families Must Visit—led officials to review applications, conduct site visits and run a public-preference survey to select 10 sites across the country.
The selected arboretums are ▲ Gangwon Provincial Arboretum (Chuncheon, Gangwon) ▲ Gyeongsangnam-do Arboretum (Jinju, South Gyeongsang) ▲ Gurye Arboretum (Gurye, South Jeolla) ▲ Gicheongsan Botanical Garden (Pohang, North Gyeongsang) ▲ Midongsan Arboretum (Cheongju, North Chungcheong) ▲ Seoul National University Gwanak (Anyang) Arboretum (Anyang, Gyeonggi) ▲ Shingu University Botanical Garden (Seongnam, Gyeonggi) ▲ Ilwol Arboretum (Suwon, Gyeonggi) ▲ Cheollipo Arboretum (Taean, South Chungcheong) ▲ Hantaek Botanical Garden (Yongin, Gyeonggi).
These sites feature well-kept forest trails, scenic walking paths, greenhouses and exhibition spaces—making them accessible and enjoyable for visitors of all ages. Each arboretum also offers a rotating lineup of seasonal programs to keep every visit fresh.
To add extra fun, there’s a nationwide Arboretum & Garden Stamp Tour called \"A Beautiful Journey.\" Organized by the Korea Arboretum and Garden Management Agency—an affiliate of the Korea Forest Service—the program invites travelers to visit 72 arboretums and gardens, collect stamps and earn souvenirs.
Starting this year, the tour added a mobile option, iNavi Stamp Orda, alongside the traditional paper stamp book, so people can participate easily from their smartphones. Participants who hit their visit goals will receive a commemorative coin featuring Korea’s native plants.
The Korea Forest Service is also rolling out promotional content to boost public engagement. First up is an MBTI personality-matching program that recommends arboretums based on your personality type. You can try it in person at the Korea Arboretum and Garden Management Agency booth during the Seoul International Garden Expo at Seoul Forest from May 1–3.
They’re also recruiting Citizen Participation Partners to share vivid, on-the-ground arboretum stories. Up to 30 people will be selected to receive support for on-site reporting and social-media content creation; top contributors will earn awards. Interested applicants can apply on the Korea Arboretum and Garden Management Agency website by May 8.
Additionally, a digital leaflet with information on the selected arboretums will be available for three years on PC and mobile. This edition includes an AI voice-recognition feature to improve accessibility for visually impaired users.
Lee Gwang-ho, director of the Forest Protection Bureau at the Korea Forest Service, said, \"Arboretums are ideal places for families to relax and experience nature. We hope everyone enjoys a trip to the arboretums—especially now that the mobile stamp tour makes it easier than ever.\"
