[Column] Korea’s national parks and public access

Jo Hong Seop, Environmental Reporter

Yellowstone National Park, located in the American state of Wyoming, was the world’s first national park. It was designated as such in 1872 and is famous for its natural beauty, exemplified by its geysers, hot springs, and wild bison. But it is often forgotten that well before the Europeans came, it was Native Americans who lived there. They were the first "natives" anywhere to be kicked off their land in order to preserve the environment. There are millions of "preservation refugees" around the world nowadays. That’s because of the global spread of American-style national parks, which segregate humans from nature.

The most popular sport in the United Kingdom is walking. There it is a long tradition to follow the well organized pathways there for days at a time and enjoy nature. But access to nature there did not come freely. In the 18th century, the Enclosure Movement made the masses lose their ability to enjoy walking through woods and grasslands, picking strawberries and mushrooms. The industrial revolution made life difficult, and people grew thirstier for nature. Eventually the "monopoly" the rich had on nature ignited anger in the country’s workers. In 1932, workers in Sheffield and Manchester joined to overtake the plains of the Peak District, which had once been public land. They clashed with land managers who were trying to defend private land, and by the time it was over many had been injured and six were hospitalized. That fight resulted in the passage of legislation in 1949 guaranteeing access to public parks and city outskirts.

The government and ruling party have announced a plan to get rid of national park entrance fees. The general Korean public has been very unapproving of the way the government collects entrance fees at national parks and cultural sites. There is an even more fundamental reason why it abolish entrance fees. It is not a proper attitude for the state to tell the responsible agencies to take care of natural heritage that must be handed down to future generations and tell them to do it with that kind of income. The National Park Authority will be able to preserve and manage the parks under its care only when it no longer has to worry about income from entrance fees. The socioeconomic disparity in Korea’s culture of leisure has turned national parks into favorite places for the common people and the elderly, who are unable to just jump up and take off on holidays overseas. Does the government really want to look those people in the eye and then demand that the user pays?