From a dumpsite to grassland to a beautiful park

If you tell anybody that a massive dumpsite like Payatas or the Smokey Mountain can be converted into a major tourist attraction, there’s a 99% chance that you will be called a loco. A massive loco-loco.

But that is just being proven true by South Korea.  The place was a landfill from 1978 until 1993, or until it reached its capacity of 92 million tons of garbage. After that, it was decommissioned and dirt was piled on the garbage mound and efforts were made to revert it back to a natural ecosystem (there must be a term for a garbage-centric ecosystem, noh?...).

But having the knack to turn wastelands into social investments, the site was repurposed into a park. And a good excuse to launch it was the 2002 FIFA World Cup.

The best season to visit Haneul Park is during the autumn months (October, specifically) when the silver grass festival is held for several weeks. Yes… grass. During this time, the site turns into a beautiful field of swaying white-tipped grasses, and thousands of people go to the area well into the night (the park is usually closed by sundown the rest of the year).

It is indeed a refreshing thought that something awesome can be created out of a mountain of garbage (literally). Haneul Park serves as an open space largely for the people of Seoul (and the autumn season tourists coming in second). Not really much of a commercial value but something that significantly outstrips any monetary consideration – community value.