County chief: 'A garden residents and civil servants have tended with care since spring'
Yeoncheon-gun opened the Imjin River Kochia Garden in the Samgot-ri area of Jungmyeon on Saturday, kicking off a month-long run through Oct. 18.
The garden was created by transforming a submerged area overrun by invasive plant species following the construction of Gunnam Dam. It has become one of Yeoncheon's signature autumn tourism destinations, drawing more than 200,000 visitors each year — last year alone, more than 210,000 people visited.
This year, the garden spans about 82,390 square meters planted with 23,000 kochia bushes alongside zinnia, buckwheat flowers and yellow cosmos, offering a rich variety of scenery set against the Imjin River waterfront.
During the operating period, Yeoncheon-gun will run a shuttle bus between Yeoncheon Station and the garden 16 times a day. Buses depart Yeoncheon Station from 9 a.m. to 5:35 p.m., and from the garden from 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. The boarding point is across from Exit 3 of Yeoncheon Station, in front of the Yeoncheon Post Office, and fares match standard Gyeonggi Province city bus rates. A city tour bus departing from Yeoncheon Station will also run three times a day, Thursday through Sunday — though service will be suspended on Friday, the Chuseok holiday.
At the garden, food stalls operated by the Jungmyeon merchants' association and a direct-sales market for local agricultural and specialty products will be open. A promotional booth for "Peace Garden Preview" — featuring a bird's-eye rendering, photo zones and flower-pot making activities ahead of the planned 2027 completion of a provincial garden — will give visitors an additional attraction.
"This is a garden that residents and civil servants have tended with care since spring," County Chief Kim Deok-hyeon said. "I hope many people will visit Yeoncheon during the Chuseok holiday and autumn outing season to enjoy the beautiful fall scenery along the Imjin River."
pjh@heraldcorp.com
