Haneul Park & World Cup Park

Full transcript

Annyeong, yeoreobun! It's Yul from KVIBE IDOLS. Quick question. Would you go on a picnic on top of a garbage mountain? Too late, you're standing on one! Welcome to Haneul Park, the Sky Park!

This land was once called Nanjido, "orchid island," a quiet riverside island with a very pretty name. Then, in 1978, Seoul needed somewhere to put its trash. For fifteen years, until 1993, the city's garbage came here, more than ninety-two million tons of it. Two mountains of waste grew about ninety-eight meters high. The air smelled, methane gas leaked out, and nobody wanted to come near.

But here's the twist. Instead of hiding the mountains, Seoul covered them with clean soil, planted grass, and in May 2002, just in time for the Korea-Japan World Cup, opened World Cup Park. The stadium is right next door. And the gas from the old trash? It's captured and used for heating. From the city's dump to the city's sky garden. Daebak!

Now, every autumn, the hilltop turns silver and gold with tall silver grass, and the Seoul Silver Grass Festival brings crowds here, usually in October. At sunset, the whole field glows.

Yul's tip! You can climb the 291 zigzag wooden steps, or take the little electric shuttle up the hill. Come before sunset for the best photos, and check the closing time, because it changes by season. Bring water. There aren't many shops on top.

Next, let's go somewhere loud, wet and full of fish. Kaja!