Unlike ordinary forests, bamboo groves possess a unique sense of order. The trunks rise almost perfectly straight toward the sky, creating natural corridors that seem designed for quiet reflection. Every gust of wind sends waves through the leaves overhead, producing a soft rustling sound that feels somewhere between rainfall and whispered conversation.

Set on a hillside in Gapyeong, with sweeping views over the calm waters of Cheongpyeong lake, lies a place where France and Italy seem to have found an unlikely home in the heart of Korea.

Gwangju Metropolitan City and South Jeolla Province were officially replaced by a new local government: the Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City (전남광주통합특별시), Korea’s first large-scale administrative integration of two existing metropolitan-level governments. The new government covers Gwangju’s five districts and South Jeolla’s 22 cities and counties.