Redefining the Korean garden: Les Jardins de Médongaule blends natural beauty with modern design

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Redefining the Korean garden: Les Jardins de Médongaule blends natural beauty with modern design

Published: 01 Sep. 2025, 07:00 Updated: 14 Nov. 2025, 13:39

WOO JI-WON
[email protected]

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

Yongban Pond with Seoseom Rock and Jaeye Pavilion on the left [JOONGANGILBO]

YANGPYEONG, Gyeonggi — While Korea's Joseon-era gardens carry a quiet, understated beauty, they lack the global recognition of those in Europe, particularly France. However, a new garden complex that opened Monday aims to change that.

Les Jardins de Médongaule in Yangpyeong, Gyeonggi — about 90 minutes from Seoul by car — covers around 200,000 square meters (49 acres) of land and aims to the challenge the notions around what exactly makes a Korean garden.

After leaving the hustle and bustle of Seoul and passing rows of small country houses and farm fields lying in the folds of the mountains, the road finally leads to this 13-year-long, ambitious project. Its head, Ryu Jae-yong, calls the complex “the first new challenge for Korean gardens in a hundred years."

Though some gardens of Joseon-era palaces and the Korean aristocracy remain today, very few stand out for their distinctive features, and no particular gardens of note have appeared since the Japanese colonial era (1910-45).

“We are presenting a new concept for what a Korean garden can be,” Ryu added.

The complex, Médongaule — meaning “a valley where bindweed blooms” — is divided into two completely opposite zones in character: the Korean Garden, which recreates and reinterprets the spirit of Joseon-era gardens, and the Contemporary Garden, also called the “Humanities Garden,” inspired by German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche and global literature.

The Korea JoongAng Daily visited Médongaule during a media tour on a recent Wednesday to explore the space.

'Lives of Ordinary People'

Spanning 23,140 square meters, the Korean Garden is divided into three themes: the "Lives of Ordinary People," the "Elegance of the Seonbi," focusing on Confucian scholars and the "Spirit of the Korean People." Each is theme expressed through smaller gardens within the grounds.

The Korean Garden of Les Jardins de Médongaule [LES JARDINS DE MÉDONGAULE]

Namdo Doldam Pathway in the Korean Garden [LES JARDINS DE MÉDONGAULE]

One of the first things you see at "Lives of Ordinary People" is the Namdo Doldam Pathway, lined with terraced fields of rice and cotton flowers. Stone walls divide the plots into sections, where crops — once grown for sustenance — are now planted for display, transforming the ordinary into the beautiful.

Nearby, the Médong Stream reimagines a place where people once used to do laundry among nature. Created by stone artisan Lee Si-hee with more than 300, 25-ton-truckloads of stones, the stream blends so seamlessly into its surroundings, like a scene from a landscape painting. It is hard to believe the whole scene was made by humans.

Medong Stream [JOONGANGILBO]

“We tried to make it as natural as possible, without an artificial feel,” Lee explained.

In order to achieve this effect, most of the rocks and other materials were deliberately brought in from other regions, making the area a carefully crafted piece of art.

'Elegance of the Seonbi'

The "Elegance of the Seonbi" section begins with Jewol Gate, leading to two square-shaped ponds, Hamso Pond, set in the middle of a broad courtyard, and Pacheong Pavilion. The pavilion faces the sky and mountains, offering wide views of the surrounding peaks, with a stone wall tucked into the corner of the space.

Two people sit on a pavilion behind the square-shaped Hamso Pond.[JOONGANGILBO]

Muyeongwon, meaning "Garden Without Shadows" [WOO JI-WON]

A touch of modern art appears in between the zones, including Muyeongwon, meaning “Garden Without Shadows.” Such an embracing of both the past and present is what sets the garden apart — not just in Korea but also globally. Created together with French landscape architect Guillaume Gosse de Gorre, the future-oriented garden touts a black-ink pool symbolizing Korea’s painful history. Placed around it is a sharply pointed, star-shaped structure that represents the country's future and the intention to keep going forward.

Another highlight is Yongbany Pond with Seoseom Rock, shaped like a toad, with a small pavilion on top of a huge rock. This scenic spot evokes the way Joseon-era scholars would rest in gardens, where they built pavilions as retreats for study and contemplation.

A traditional dance performed at Jaeyedang Pavilion [WOO JI-WON]

Past the Muae Gate lies Jaeye Pavilion, set in a spacious, neatly swept courtyard. The pavilion hosts traditional performances of janggu drumming and gayageum (Korean string instrument) music three times a day. There is also a traditional dance performance where a dancer symbolically ask the gods to forgive humanity’s destruction of nature. Rarely seen elsewhere, it is one of the garden’s highlights.

'Spirit of the Korean People'

Seongok Seowon Academy [WOO JI-WON]

A study room inside Seongok Seowon Academy [WOO JI-WON]

The final section centers on the Confucian academy Seongok Seowon Academy, located behind the dozens of massive stones that form a stone garden. Designed by Seung H-Sang, one of Korea’s most celebrated architects, it is a modern reinterpretation of Byeongsan Seowon in Andong — a Unesco World Heritage site. Resembling a contemporary museum, it is also one of the garden’s most photogenic structures. Inside, there is a small study, a cafe with staircase seating and a little museum dedicated to the garden’s history.

Descending from the building, visitors encounter Überhaus, a 2,500-square-meter (26,910-square-foot) green structure with 16 massive columns jutting out from its roof. From the rooftop observation deck, it offers panoramic views of the entire garden and the surrounding ridges. Thanks to its bold and innovative geometric shape, it has already gone viral online.

Überhaus [LES JARDINS DE MÉDONGAULE]

A sneak peak at the unfinished Contemporary Garden, set to finish construction in 2026, revealed an impressive display, seeming more like an artwork than a garden. This French-style garden is set to feature modernist architecture inspired by philosophers Nietzsche and Plato, as well as Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s "The Little Prince" (1943). Though still under construction, each architectural element already looks remarkable, evoking awe.

Located on Medonggol-gil, Yangdong-myeon, Yangpyeong-gun, Gyeonggi, Les Jardins de Médongaule opens from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily, except Mondays. Admission is priced at 50,000 won ($36) per adult, and reservation is required as entry is limited to fewer than 100 visitors per hour to avoid crowding the gardens. Free tours, with Korean and English options, are available three times a day.

BY WOO JI-WON [[email protected]]