Sung Deok-im (Lee Se-young) crosses this forest in episode 5 of The Red Sleeve/The Red Sleef Cuff (옷소매 붉은 끝동) (MBC, 2021-22).

Ha-roo’s (Ro Woon of SF9) memories of Goryeo times comes back in flashes and in episode 22 (full episode 11) of Extraordinary You/Ha-Ru Found by Chance/A Day Found by Chance/Suddenly One Day (어쩌다 발견한 하루) (MBC, 2019), he remembers how Baek Kyung (Lee Jae-wook) brings Eun Dan-O (Kim Hye-yoon) to this park and also how he accompanies her as Baek Kyung’s stand-in at another time.

The ending scene of The Princess and the Matchmaker (궁합/Goonghap) (2018) was filmed during the 2018 Jeongeup Gujeolcho Flower Festival.

Okjeongho Gujeolcho Theme Park [옥정호 구절초테마공원] or sometimes short Gujeolcho Park [구절초공원] is a multi-purpose park located on a hill in the village of Maejuk [Maejuk-ri/매죽리] in Jeongeup’s Sannae Township [Sannae-myeon/산내면], in the Jeollabuk Province.

The park is mostly known for its pine tree forest which is filled with white chrysanthemum (chrysanthemum zawadskii) — ‘gujeolcho’ or ‘sunmocho’ in Korean for its typical shape — in autumn. During this time, the ‘Jeongeup Chrysanthemum Festival’ [정읍 옥정호 구절초 축제가] is held. Apart from the forest with its promenade, the park comes with a sports ground, an exhibition hall on the native flora, an acupressure walkway and a plaza, among others. Originally established as Mangyeongdae Sports Park [망경대체육공원으로] in 2003, ‘gujeolcho‘ (Dendranthema zawadskii var. latilobum (Maxim.) Kitam.]) were planted in 2006, which also resulted in a name-change of the park to Gujeolcho Theme Park.

In 2021, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism —announced through the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO)— selected this site as one of the ‘100 Must-Visit Spots in Korea’ for 2021-2022.

Fun fact: Gujeolcho are also used for the chrysanthemum tea (gujeolcho-cha/구절초차/九節草茶) in South Korea.

Address
Daum Map
571 Maejuk-ri, Sannae-myeon, Jeongeup, Jeollabuk-do
전북 정읍시 산내면 매죽리 571
Naver Map
전라북도 정읍시 산내면 매죽리 산186-5
Geolocation: 35.553167, 127.019078

Getting here
Jeongeup Station [정읍역]
(closest station)

— submitted by Marion KDL