Halla Eco-Forest has been opened at 600 m above sea level in Bonggae-dong, Jeju City by the 5.16 Road. The completion of the ecological forest, which was begun in 2000, is a first for the nation.

The W12.2 billion (US$1=W1,206) project, including W7.9 billion in national funding, has built a green zone on former grazing land. Situated on about 196 hectares, the forest has 288,000 trees of roughly 330 varieties, such as those found in warm-temperate forests, temperate zones and others. The region is laid out in harmony with wild flowers of Halla Mountain, stones unique to Jeju and even an artificial stream. There is also an aquatic botanical garden where visitors can observe the ecosystem of a pond.

Visitors can enjoy the 13 themed forests including maple and cherry blossom trees and chamkkot trees, a type of indigenous azalea. Ten years of ecological restoration make the forest home to approximately 740 types of plants and about 530 species of animals. The project is being called "Little Halla Mountain" since it represents the mountain's ecosystem.

As it is the first of its kind in Korea, Halla Eco-Forest may serve as an example for other regions in developing environmentally-friendly tourism.