Hwangdeung-myeon, Iksan, Jeollabuk-do. In the middle of a vast plain of rice paddies, a dense forest appears out of nowhere. That is Agape Garden (아가페정원). If your first reaction is "a place like this exists in Iksan?" — that instinct is exactly right.
Closed for 50 Years, Open to the Public Since 2021
In 1970, the late Father Seo Jeong-su founded Agape Jeongyangwon, a senior welfare facility in Hwangdeung-myeon, Iksan, and began planting and tending trees for the emotional well-being of its residents. For the next 50 years the garden remained strictly off-limits to outsiders, existing solely as private grounds for the care facility. In March 2021 it was designated the 4th private garden in Jeollabuk-do and opened to the general public for the first time. Today it is listed as the 7th of Iksan's Nine Scenic Spots and is included on the Iksan City Tour route as one of the city's defining landmarks.
October: Why Visit Now
Describing this garden in autumn as simply "the leaves turn" falls short. Within the grounds, Japanese maple (공작단풍), Korean maple (당단풍), and towering dawn redwoods (메타세쿼이아) grow side by side, producing a landscape from mid-October onward where crimson foliage and golden leaves alternate overhead. The dawn redwood avenue — described by visitors as a "50-metre wall of trees" — soars high enough to close off the sky entirely. Walking the dirt paths beneath it, a quiet and unhurried sense of time settles in that is hard to find in an urban arboretum. Because the garden sits on flat farmland ringed by fields, the view beyond the tree line opens up wide in every direction.
Before You Go — Reservations Are Required
Admission to Agape Garden is free, but it is not a park you can simply walk into at will. **On weekends and public holidays, a phone reservation made at least two weeks in advance is mandatory; walk-in entry is not accepted.** Tuesday through Friday, visits are available between 09:00 and 17:00 in four slots — 09:00, 11:00, 13:00, and 15:00 — and you choose the time you want when you call. Reservation line: 063-843-7294.
Operating hours during the summer season (March–October) are 09:00–17:00, with last entry at 16:00. The garden is closed every Monday.
Parking is free, but spaces along the roadside fill up even on weekday mornings, so the garden draws more visitors than its low profile might suggest. Booking the first slot of the day is recommended if you want to arrive without rushing.
Getting There & Nearby Attractions
Enter **아가페정양원** in any navigation app. The address is 9 Yulchon-gil, Hwangdeung-myeon, Iksan-si, Jeonbuk Special Self-Governing Province. Public transport access is limited, so a private car is the most practical option.
The entire path through the garden is flat, making it comfortable for elderly visitors and young children alike. A leisurely walk takes between one and one and a half hours. Nearby, all within roughly 20 minutes by car, are the Iksan Prison Set (익산 교도소 세트장), Mireuksa Temple Site (미륵사지), the Pinwheel Village at Seongdang Pogu (성당포구 바람개비 마을), and Yongan Ecological Wetland Park (용안생태습지공원) — making it straightforward to string them together into a full day out.
If you would rather watch the season change somewhere quiet and unhurried rather than joining the crowds at Seoraksan or Naejangsan, Agape Garden in October is a compelling answer.
