More national parks will be open for outdoor weddings and wedding photos, the Ministry of Environment and the Korea National Park Service said Tuesday.
Dubbed “forest weddings” by the ministry, the KNPS and the Environment Ministry have hosted 133 weddings since launching the service in 2021. Though the service was only available for multicultural couples and couples aged between 19 and 34, the ministry stated that it would now be available to all couples starting this year.
According to the ministry, the number of places designated to host such weddings has been expanded to 14 venues from the nine previously designated by the KNPS.
The five additional venues include an ecological park in Naejangsan, known for its outstanding fall foliage, the Mansuro Nature Observation Trail in Woraksan, the Deogyudae Camping Site in Deogyusan, the Gapbawi Native Botanical Garden in Palgongsan and the Ecological Exploration Park in Gyeryongsan.
The ministry added that it would also provide free shuttle bus services to the wedding venue from KTX stations and bus terminals nearby, in response to complaints claiming the parks were inconvenient to travel to.
For couples who do not wish to have an outdoor ceremony but still want to take wedding photos, the ministry also designated 44 scenic spots in national parks nationwide as “forest wedding photo spots.” The 44 spots include a hiking trail in Bukhansan, Hanuneom Beach on Bigeum Island and Samneung Forest in Gyeongju National Park.
Access to the forest wedding photo spots is normally closed to the public to prevent accidents, and the ministry stated that assistance would be provided by a KNPS official if a wedding shoot is booked in advance.
Information about forest weddings and applications to use the photo locations for wedding photos will be available on the KNPS’ official website starting Wednesday.
lee.jungjoo@heraldcorp.com
