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Whanki Museum, which poisoned a nearly 200-year-old ginkgo tree, posts apology on website
We apologize
We deeply apologize for causing concern to those who cherish Buam-dong and the Whanki Museum regarding the "ginkgo tree."
The Whanki Museum is currently listening to the advice of many people regarding the current situation and is making every effort and taking necessary measures to restore the ginkgo tree and improve the overall related circumstances.
We ask for your generous understanding as we are approaching this matter from various angles, considering the gravity of the issue.
The origin of this matter dates back about 10 years. At that time, there were an oak tree and a ginkgo tree on the left and right of the Whanki Museum's main entrance. Residents of Buam-dong repeatedly filed complaints with the museum, citing that the trees were adjacent to high-voltage power poles and that the roots were protruding onto the road, posing a risk of serious safety accidents for pedestrians.
In response to the residents' complaints, the Whanki Museum removed the oak tree within the premises following expert advice. Regarding the ginkgo tree outside the premises (right next to the museum wall), we contacted the Jongno-gu Office and confirmed it was on private land, which made it difficult to proceed with further measures.
In July 2018, as the tree continued to grow, the museum received constant complaints requesting action because the tree swayed significantly during typhoons or heavy snow, and caused issues with fallen leaves and odors. Accordingly, while the Whanki Museum carried out cleaning and leaf collection, we again filed a complaint with the Jongno-gu Office in an effort to fundamentally improve the situation.
During that process, it was confirmed that the tree belonged to land jointly owned by 14 people. To improve the situation, such as through pruning, we contacted the legal representative of some owners with the help of the Jongno-gu Office to explain the situation and seek cooperation. However, we were unable to improve the situation as the owners did not reach a unanimous agreement.
Subsequently, we confirmed that the museum wall was collapsing due to the state of the tree (roots). Fearing the possibility of serious safety accidents—specifically for residents using the nearby roads and users of public facilities—we once again attempted to contact the owners of the site to resolve the "problematic status."
Upon contacting the legal representative we had communicated with in 2018, we found that the number of owners had increased from 14 to 45 by 2025. The Whanki Museum contacted all 45 owners individually to inform them of the current situation, convey our serious concerns, and request a solution, but we received no response.
As a public facility frequented by Buam-dong residents and a large number of visitors, we judged it irresponsible to leave a serious problem that could cause a major safety accident unattended simply because of "procedural difficulties" (such as communication with the competent administrative agency and owners).
Due to the gravity of the matter described above, we sought to resolve the situation, and we once again deeply apologize for causing concern to those who cherish Buam-dong and the Whanki Museum. Furthermore, we thank you for the sincere and affectionate advice from many of you, and we will continue to do our best.
Sincerely, Whanki Museum
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https://www.instagram.com/p/DZEeztdEVOJ
They say they are making every effort and taking necessary measures for the recovery of the ginkgo tree and the "improvement of comprehensive related matters" (???)
But they still aren't disclosing the name of the agent or the amount injected, which is essential information for treating the tree.
In the meantime, the vines on the wall next to the ginkgo tree have also died...
+) Additional info: The claim about the facility collapsing is the museum's assertion.
In a previous phone call with the Hankyoreh, the Whanki Museum stated, "There is a concern that the wall may be damaged by the tree roots. We judged that it was a dangerous situation as the roots had been digging under the wall for several years, causing cracks. We contacted the district office and land owners to solve the tree problem and even sent a certification of contents."
However, as a result of a safety diagnosis conducted by the Jongno-gu Office on this old tree late last year, no such risk was recognized.
https://www.hani.co.kr/arti/society/environment/1260286.html
Source: https://theqoo.net/hot/4226971604
출처: https://theqoo.net/hot/4226971604