Made a late January trip to Beartree Park (베어트리파크), made popular...

Entrance


Tickets in months November to March are 8,000W for adults. April to October has different prices depending on the days. It's 10,000W during the week and 13,000W for admission on weekends and holidays.


Hey, look at that bear penis!


Hey, look at that... Thinker!




They baby bears are so cute.








The adult bears are waiting for dinner.

Made a late January trip to Beartree Park (베어트리파크), made popular by Korean drama, My Princess. I was eager to see the cute moon (or Manchurian black) bears, but found myself wandering the park for at least an hour looking at the botanical gardens, unique (often bear) statues, and non-bear creatures (e.g. koi, white peacocks, beagles, deer).

First, I saw the baby moon bears. Oh, they were so cute! And so close! I was really tempted to reach down and pet them, as only a wall of glass (maybe six feet high) and thin electric wire separated us. There were no employees around to stop me, but envisioning a baby bear (accidentally?) mauling my arm squelched any desire I had to pet one.

As I walked through the park, ignoring unavoidable goat bleats, I wondered what the bears were being raised for. Hopefully not to be someone’s dinner, as I have heard that one can purchase and consume bear meat in Korea. I saw more pits of bears, the bears getting older and bigger the further I walked. I’m sad to say that the pits seemed overstocked with roughly 20-30 bears in each. Their pits seemed bare with very little replication of what their habitats would be like in the wild.

The bears do seem healthy though. I really enjoyed being able to see them so up-close. I heard one can pay extra in the spring for an “animal experience” (동물체험) to walk baby bears, but it’s really only for children.

Tickets in months November to March are 8,000₩ for adults. April to October has different prices depending on the days. It’s 10,000₩ during the week and 13,000₩ for admission on weekends and holidays. Place opens at 9 AM and closes at sunset.

How to get there: Take a bus or Mugungwha train to Jochiwon (조치원역). I took the train from Cheonan for 2600₩. Exit the main doors and take a left along Jochiwonro Road. Turn right at the first four-way intersection and take bus 960 in front of Sejong Post Office Bus Stop. Get off at Beartree Park Bus Stop. Or take a taxi from the station for around 12,000₩. Be careful leaving because the buses stop running before the park closes. If that happens to you —like it happened to me— an employee might be nice enough to drive you to a bus stop that is running.

Address:
217 Sinsong-ro Jeondong-myeon , Sejong-si
세종특별자치시 전동면 신송로 217

Phone number: 866-7766