South Korea city's 'Big Tree' landmark, inspired by S'pore Gardens by the Bay, turns into S$31.8m disappointment

A South Korean port city's attempt to build a landmark has turned into a big disappointment despite costing 34.4 billion won (S$31.8 million), resulting in backlash for the "Big Tree" observation tower.

The Korea Herald reported that the Big Tree which stands at 46.5 metres tall in Changwon, south-eastern South Korea, was inspired by the towering Supertrees at Singapore’s Gardens by the Bay.

It was designed to anchor Daesang Park, a public-private partnership development worth about 1 trillion won (S$720 million), aiming to draw both domestic and international visitors.

Singapore Supertrees

According to Maeil Business Newspaper, the Singapore landmark was the benchmark for designing the Big Tree in Korea.

The vertical gardens standing between 25 and 50 metres tall in Singapore biomimic real trees.

Gardens by the Bay recently held a free fireflies-inspired light show at its Supertree Grove Lawn from Jul. 31 to Aug. 3.

Korea Big Tree

Changwon is an industrial and shipping hub near the south-eastern tip of the Korean Peninsula home to just over a million people.

It became a “special city” in 2022 under South Korean law which granted it some additional autonomy over development projects.

While the tower offers 360-degree views of Masan Port, Dotseom Island and Muhaksan mountain, recent local media reports and public commentary noted that its squat proportions, sparse artificial foliage and incongruous decorative animal statues were underwhelming to many residents.

Redesigned

City officials have confirmed that the Big Tree’s upper structure will be redesigned with the redesign selected through a nationwide competition and citizen consultations, but this process is expected to take at least a year.

Even if work proceeds smoothly, the city estimates that construction could only start in the second half of 2026.

Changwon has decided not to charge an entry fee due to negative feedback when the tower begins official operations on Oct. 1.

Local media inspections in recent weeks noted that the artificial leaves arranged so sparsely they seemed unfinished and interior plant sculptures were clearly fake.

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