Redwoods in Ilsan? Well, I’m pretty sure. They’re not Sequoia sempervirens… I believe they’re Metasequoia glyptostroboides, Chinese “dawn redwoods.” They’re quite common as ornamentals throughout the temperate climes, now, because they are hardy and grow fast. Here in Korea, they’re not actually that far from home — I think their native area is within 500 km or so.
Unlike California’s sequoias, they’re deciduous — they get naked for the winter. But they have very redwoody bark, and the needles are strikingly similar. See the picture I took, at right.
I walked down to the lake park, and took this picture, below, of the arranged rocks in the frozen lake, with the bridge in the distance over the lake. It seemed beautiful.
