Following the road uphill from the Andong Municipal Folk Museum leads to the World Water Forum Memorial Park, which offers a close view of Andong Dam, the first dam constructed across the Nakdonggang River and Korea’s first combined cycle power plant with a pumped-storage system.
The World Water Forum Memorial Park was established to celebrate the successful hosting of the 2015 Daegu-Gyeongbuk World Water Forum and to position Andong as a hub for water industry tourism and business. Built on a 43,665㎡ site at the entrance of Andong Dam, with a total floor area of 2,552㎡, the complex includes the World Water Forum Memorial Center, Sucheonru, Sucheongak, the Pond of Life, a commemorative garden, and the Healing Forest.
The World Water Forum Memorial Center, also known as Sucheonjeon, meaning “the place where water meets the sky,” features a wide range of exhibitions related to water. Notably, renowned architect Park Seung-hong, who designed the National Museum of Korea, served as the master planner for the project, enhancing its architectural value. In addition to the exhibition hall, the center includes a large auditorium with over 220 seats and six smaller conference rooms. Through educational programs and seminars on water, the center also serves as a space for education, culture, and leisure for Andong citizens. Behind the building, visitors can relax at Sucheonru (pavilion) and Sucheongak (café), both offering scenic views of Andong Dam.
The Healing Forest was created in commemoration of the 7th World Water Forum held in 2015. Each tree symbolizes a participating country, representing the idea that small individual efforts for water come together to form a vast forest. The black paving stones on the ground illustrate the underground flow of water gathered through forest cultivation, and the lower greenery zones of the forest visually express the transformation of land, from dry to moist, caused by the presence of water.