Manseok Park
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Manseok Park | |
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Korean name | |
Hangul: |
만석공원
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Hanja: |
萬石公園
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Revised Romanization: | Manseok Gongwon |
McCune-Reischauer: | Mansŏk Kongwŏn |
Manseok Park is a large public park in the Jeongja-dong area of Jangan-gu, Suwon City, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea.
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[edit] Facilities
The centrepiece of the park is a man-made reservoir around which can be found a 1200m track used for walking, running, rollerblading and cycling. There is a huge paved area and permanent stage on the east side of the park which hosts various outdoor events and celebrations every year, while the Suwon Arts Centre can be found on the south side. The park is also home to the 12 clay courts of the North Suwon Tennis Club as well as a state of the art indoor tennis complex. There is a full size dirt soccer pitch on the west side and a high quality astroturf soccer pitch on the east side of the park.
In 2004 the Suwon X-games skatepark opened at Manseok, a public facility which puts most skateparks around the world to shame. It comprises 2 half pipes (one being the highest public half-pipe in Korea) and a great selection of top-quality ramps, rails and boxes. There is an oval speed track around the perimeter of the park for rollerbladers.
Like many recreational facilities in Korea the park also features beautifully appointed restrooms. Although not the best or most distinctive in the city - those accolades go to the convenience overlooking Hwaseong Fortress which has become a tourist attraction in its own right, and the giant football shaped W.C. at the Suwon World Cup Stadium - the toilets at Manseok are certainly a pleasant place to spend a few quiet moments.
[edit] Events
Each June the park welcomes the Suwon Galbi Festival, a highlight of the Korean gastronomic calendar. Galbi (marinated, barbecued beef ribs) originates from Suwon City and is served all over Korea and around the world. The event consists of a massive number of "soju tents" being erected and cooking up as much galbi as possible, with gallons of soju to wash it down.
During the 2002 World Cup Manseok became the Suwon World Cup Park and large screens and stages were erected to celebrate the country's co-hosting of the biggest event on the planet. Tens of thousands of fans from Korea and around the world witnessed the incredible performances of the Korean team on the big screens as they reached the semi-finals of the championship.
[edit] Transport
Most buses which serve north Suwon and many express buses between Suwon and Seoul stop just outside the park, including the extremely frequent 65 (Anyang - Woncheon Resort) and the 7770 (Suwon Station - Sadang (Seoul) express). The nearest subway stop is Hwaseo on line 1. The park is also close to the Suwon Hyundai Unicorns baseball stadium and the Suwon City soccer stadium.
[edit] See also
- List of Korea-related topics
- Parks in South Korea