Korea is broadening its national park wedding offerings, allowing more couples to celebrate their nuptials in nature. Starting this month, the Ministry of Environment and the Korea National Park Service announced that the opportunity to host weddings in national park forests is now available to all engaged couples, as well as citizens wishing to take wedding photos. Previously, the “national park forest wedding” was limited to specific groups, such as youth and multicultural families.
The number of wedding venues available will rise from nine ecological exploration centers to a total of 14, with five new scenic locations added within national parks. These new additions include Naejangsan Maple Ecological Park, Woraksan Mansuro Natural Observation Trail, Deogyusan Deogyudae Camping Ground, Palgongsan Gatbawi Native Plant Garden, and Gyeryongsan Ecological Exploration Center.
To address concerns about transportation for guests attending these forest weddings, the Korea National Park Service will provide free shuttle bus services connecting the wedding venues to the nearest stations (KTX) and bus terminals.
In addition to hosting weddings, the program will now offer 44 national parks as official “forest wedding photo spots” for engaged couples wishing to take memorable photos in the picturesque surroundings. Couples who book their photo sessions in advance will be granted vehicle access for the photoshoots, under the guidance of the Korea National Park Service staff.
Information on how to apply for the national park “forest wedding” and “forest wedding photo spots” will be made available on the Korea National Park Service website starting on the 5th of March.
Kim Tae-oh, director of the Ministry of Environment’s Natural Conservation Bureau, expressed his hope for the initiative: “I hope the national park forest wedding and wedding photo spots will become a new way to enjoy national parks. We will continue to expand various programs that allow everyone to experience the beauty of our national parks.”
