{
  "id": 15868513,
  "title": "Ssuk Island",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/21/ssuk-island",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-21T09:47:03.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Korea Times",
    "slug": "the-korea-times",
    "url": "https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/opinion/20261021/ssuk-island"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Ssuk Island, a diminutive parcel of land measuring slightly over a square kilometer, lies in proximity to Nara Island within Goheung, Jeonnam-Gwangju Special Metropolitan City. In 2017, this island was honored as the inaugural private botanical garden in South Jeolla Province. Spanning an expansive 30,000 square meters, the garden is a verdant haven teeming with an array of floral species, complemented by verdant subtropical forests and elegant stone walls.\n\nThe island's splendor draws approximately 100,000 visitors annually. Its creation can be credited to the tireless efforts of Mr. Kim, a devoted educator, and Ms. Goh, a skillful pharmacist. They exchanged vows in 1996, and their shared love for Ssuk Island, owing to Mr. Kim's maternal ancestry, spurred their dream of constructing a botanical sanctuary there. The couple acquired land on the island, dedicating their weekends to nurturing a lush ecosystem for flora.\n\nTheir heartening narrative of creating and maintaining a floral garden using their own resources, for the island's inhabitants, gained widespread media attention. In 2016, Ssuk Island was lauded as a desirable island boasting a breathtaking garden. It was earmarked by Goheung County and the Korea Forest Service for special consideration, thereby attracting a greater influx of tourists to the small enclave.",
  "summary": "Ssuk Island is a small island only a little more than a square kilometer in size and located near Nara Island, Goheung, Jeonnam-Gwangju Special Metropolitan City. In 2017, it was dedicated as the first private garden in South Jeolla Province. It contains a variety of flower species in a 30,000 square meter garden filled with lush subtropical forests and stone walls. Last year, about 100,000…",
  "key_points": [
    "Ssuk Island is a 1 km² land near Nara Island in Goheung, Jeonnam-Gwangju Special Metropolitan City.",
    "The 30,000 sqm botanical garden opened in 2017, attracting 100,000 visitors yearly.",
    "Mr. Kim and Ms. Goh, a teacher and pharmacist, founded the garden using their own resources."
  ],
  "editors_take": "The conversion of a private ancestral land into a botanical sanctuary demonstrates how individual passion can transform small islands into significant regional tourist destinations through dedicated ecological stewardship.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The Korea Times",
        "title": "Ssuk Island",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/21/ssuk-island-15872108",
        "published": "2026-10-21T10:22:03.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}