Project costs about 9.7 billion won; covers 1.8 km of disused track, 18–25 m wide
Yeoncheon-gun held an opening ceremony Thursday at the former Hantangang Station for its climate-response urban forest project along the disused Gyeongwon Line railway corridor, marking the launch of a new green space designed to address the climate crisis and support local development. County Chief Kim Deok-hyeon presided over the event.
The newly opened Jeongok section was built at a total project cost of about 9.7 billion won ($6.24 million), transforming a 1.8-kilometer stretch of disused railway land — 18 to 25 meters wide — into a climate-response urban forest. The site features park walking paths, a bicycle lane, residents' exercise facilities, rest areas, and a variety of trees and green spaces, while preserving the historical character and spatial qualities of the original railway infrastructure.
The project gained momentum after Yeoncheon-gun was selected in the second half of 2022 for Korea National Railway's competition to repurpose idle land along the disused Gyeongwon Line, and again in 2023 as a target site for the Korea Forest Service's climate-response urban forest program. Construction began in December 2024, and all work was completed in June.
Yeoncheon-gun, the Korea Forest Service, Gyeonggi Province and Korea National Railway collaborated on the project, converting idle land left behind by the former railway corridor — rendered obsolete by the opening of Seoul Subway Line 1 — into an urban forest. The forest expands carbon absorption capacity and reduces fine dust while providing residents with comfortable recreational space and improving the urban environment and living conditions.
The forest is also expected to serve as a new tourism draw, attracting more visitors to the area and contributing to the local economy.
Yeoncheon-gun plans to build on the Jeongok section opening to accelerate its transformation into a green city. As a next step, it intends to develop an additional urban forest along a 4.2-kilometer Cheongsan section stretching from Hantang Railway Bridge to the border with Dongducheon, bringing the total length of the climate-response urban forest corridor to 6 kilometers.
pjh@heraldcorp.com
