Yangju City Newly Certifies 'Gana Art Park' as Wellness Tourism Destination

Yangju City announced on the 25th that 'Gana Art Park' has been newly certified as a '2026 Gyeonggi-type Wellness Tourism Destination.'

As a result, Yangju City now has a total of three Gyeonggi-type Wellness Tourism Destinations, following the Yangju Municipal Art Museum and Yuk Ji Jang Sa, which were certified in 2025.

The 'Gyeonggi-type Wellness Tourism Destination' is an initiative jointly promoted by Gyeonggi Province and the Gyeonggi Tourism Organization to discover and nurture outstanding tourism resources in the province. The program selects tourism destinations where visitors can reflect on themselves, restore balance to body and mind, and bring positive changes to their daily lives.

Gana Art Park is the successor to Total Art Museum, which opened in 1984 as South Korea's first private art museum. In 2005, it was acquired by Gana Art Center and developed into a comprehensive cultural and arts complex centered around a sculpture park. In 2013, it opened South Korea's first 'Picasso Children's Art Museum,' establishing itself as a cultural and arts space enjoyed by children and adults alike.

Works titled 'Air Pocket' and 'Bebop,' directly created by textile artist Toshiko Horiuchi MacAdam, are participatory artworks and net playgrounds where visitors can experience art with their entire bodies. In the sculpture park, visitors can appreciate approximately 50 works by renowned domestic and international artists including Moon Shin, Choi Jong-tae, Han Jin-seop, Émile-Antoine Bourdelle, Joel Shapiro, and Marc Quinn in a natural setting.

Yangju Municipal Min Bok-jin Art Museum operates a family healing docent program titled 'When You Listen,' in connection with its collections, while Yangju Municipal Jang Uk-jin Art Museum operates a meditation program 'Complete Immersion,' which combines art and therapy, on a regular basis.

Dorisan Yuk Ji Jang Sa is a healing sanctuary that combines traditional Korean healing philosophy with scientifically-based wellness methods. It operates various health promotion programs including breath meditation, mugwort moxibustion, agarwood, and sacred tea, as well as 'Oxygen Breathing Meditation Trails' in nature.

The city plans to actively utilize the diverse wellness content offered by Gana Art Park, Yangju Municipal Art Museum, and Yuk Ji Jang Sa to develop Yangju into a representative wellness tourism city in northern Gyeonggi Province.