Seoul Pledged the 'Right to Walk in the Shade,' but Street Trees Have Declined by 10,000

Seoul declared it would guarantee citizens the 'right to walk in the shade,' yet the very trees that provide that shade have vanished by more than 10,000 over the past four years.

According to Seoul city statistics on street trees, the number in the city declined year by year from 295,857 in 2022 to 285,573 last year. The pace of decline also widened, falling to 294,668 in 2023 and 288,877 in 2024.

The downward trend is evident across the city's districts. Gangnam, with 21,457 trees as of 2025, has the second-most street trees after Songpa (23,139), but it posted the largest decline, losing 1,772 trees compared with 2022. Seongbuk followed, dropping 1,096 trees from 8,205 to 7,109, and Yangcheon lost 1,037, falling from 12,760 to 11,723.

Development projects lie behind the shrinking tree cover. The decline is attributed to cases where plans to secure green space, including street trees, were not adequately guaranteed during project implementation, or where trees were felled due to civil complaints.

Seoul plans to plant a first batch of 4,000 street trees by next year, filling empty spots left after the removal of hazardous trees.