Sejong draws travelers with gardens, lake park and padak

SEJONG, South Korea — Sejong, built as a government ministries city, is being presented as a weekend travel destination with major gardens, lakeside recreation, presidential records and a market-born fried chicken dish, according to The Korea Times.

The guide frames Sejong as more than an administrative center, pointing to a central green axis through the city and attractions that combine public space, history and local food. The Korea Times reported the article was originally from the Hankook Ilbo and translated by a generative AI system before editing.

The National Sejong Arboretum anchors the city’s green corridor with Sejong Lake Park nearby, The Korea Times reported. The arboretum is South Korea’s third national arboretum and the first one built inside a city.

Its Four Seasons Conservatory includes three glass greenhouses designed in an iris-like shape and connected like petals, according to The Korea Times. The Mediterranean greenhouse is showing “The Five-Color Garden Painted by Henri Matisse” through the end of the year, with about 50 works paying homage to Henri Matisse among the plants.

A special exhibition greenhouse is also running “Garden Marble: Gardens of the World” through Oct. 11, The Korea Times reported. The Korean Traditional Garden includes full-scale recreations of Juhamnu Pavilion and Buyongjeong Pavilion from Changdeok Palace.

Next to the arboretum, Sejong Lake Park is described by The Korea Times as South Korea’s largest artificial lake park, with more than 320,000 square meters of water, an 8.8-kilometer walking trail and five artificial islands. At the north end of the park, the Presidential Archives holds documents, photographs and video from South Korea’s past presidents, including a 1988 planning report on the Seoul Olympics.

The guide also points travelers to Sejong Traditional Market, which has operated since the Jochiwon days, according to The Korea Times. The article identifies the market as the birthplace of padak, a fried chicken dish topped with shredded green onions.

The Korea Times reported that the original padak is made by placing shredded green onion on fried chicken and closing the box so the trapped heat softens the onion and flavors the meat.