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Arboretums offer free Lunar New Year admission, tiger habitat among highlights

Published: 14 Feb. 2026, 10:00

Sejong National Arboretum in Sejong City spans 650,000 square meters (161 acres) and offers a variety of worldwide flora through different themed zones. [JOONGANG]

Three arboretums across Korea will offer free admission and a series of special events from Feb. 14 to 18 to celebrate Seollal Lunar New Year.

Baekdudaegan National Arboretum in Bonghwa County, North Gyeongsang, the Sejong National Arboretum in Sejong City, and the National Botanic Garden of Korean Native Plants in Pyeongchang, Gangwon, will be open free of charge during the holiday period, except on Lunar New Year’s Day on Feb. 17.

At Baekdudaegan National Arboretum, the garden shop will sell a limited quantity of the “Baekdu Jjondeuk Cookie,” Dubai chewy cookies developed in collaboration with a youth-led company in the Bonghwa region. Visitors can also play traditional Korean games such as tuho (arrow-throwing), yutnori (traditional board game) and jegichagi (shuttlecock kicking).

Visitors born in the Year of the Horse such as 2014, 2002, or 1990 will receive commemorative bath towels on a first-come, first-served basis, with 50 given away each day upon proof of ID. The first 100 visitors each day whose names include the syllables related to the year of the horse such as “mal,” “ma,” “o,” “bong” or “hwa” will receive the Arboretum's tiger mascot phone grip and seed sticks, which are eco-friendly, biodegradable matchstick-style, paper sticks embedded with seeds, designed for easy planting of herbs, flowers, and vegetables..

Visitors can also visit the Tiger Forest, an astonishing 38,000-square-meter, or 409,032-square-feet forest, that is roughly four times the size of a soccer field, and is home to six tigers. The Korea Forest Service invested 220 billion won ($15.2 milion) from 2009 to 2015 to build Asia’s largest arboretum to protect Baekdudaegan (Baekdu mountain range) and its forests' biological resources. The forest acts as a natural enclosure for the currently housed tigers. There are six tigers living here, ranging in age from Uri, the oldest at 15, to Miryeong, the youngest at four. The others are Han and Do, both 13, and Mugung and Taebeom, both six. A joint birthday party for Taebeom and Mugung will be held on Feb. 21 post holiday.

At Sejong National Arboretum, visitors can play traditional Korean musical instruments such as the buk (barrel drum) , janggu (hourglass drum) , jing (large gong) , kkwaenggwari (small handheld gong) and sogo (small hand drum), along with 12 types of traditional games. Participants can also make envelopes shaped like hanbok (traditional Korean clothing). Other activities include coloring books featuring 12 native plant species such as white forsythia, winter hazel and camellia, as well as terrarium kit workshops classes.

Hancheong, a tiger born in 2005, is seen in this photo. She died at the Baekdudaegan National Arboretum in Bonghwa, North Gyeongsang, on Nov. 6. [BAEKDUDAEGAN NATIONAL ARBORETUM]

National Botanic Garden of Korean Native Plants will also offer free admission. Its book cafe will feature an exhibition showcasing plant specimen of native Korean and seasonal plants. Hands-on programs such as those for making pressed-flower crafts and DIY flower frames will also be available. A traditional games zone featuring tuho, yutnori and jegichagi will also be available.

“We have prepared special events for the whole family to enjoy during the Lunar New Year holiday in the Year of the Red Horse,” said KoAGI president Shim Sang-taek. "We wish you a warm, joyful holiday with your loved ones."

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY BAEK KYUNG-SEO [[email protected]]