Children experience crop farming at Sangha Farm in Gochang County, North Jeolla Province, Friday. Courtesy of Maeil Dairy

Sangha Farm in Gochang County, North Jeolla Province, is redefining theme parks. With thick forests, dairy farms and accommodating facilities, the venue demonstrates to visitors the meaning of people and nature coexisting in balance, according to company officials, Sunday.

The farm's latest addition is an outdoor spa next to forests which is called Farmer's Village Spa. It opened in October 2020 following a new 50-meter swimming pool for children and adults some months ago.

The aqua facilities are part of Farmer's Village, a multi-purposed hotel inside Sangha Farm which offers farm stay experiences with 41 suites. Opening in 2018, the three-storied hotel is made with lumber and rocks from nearby locations and has a ballroom with capacity for 350 people and a seminar space for 250.

Sangha Farm has a variety of range of food production experience programs for visitors. Arranged under four major categories ― ham, fruit, bread and fermentation ― participating lodgers can make sausages, jam, preserves, bakery items and Korean-style fermented food ingredients made with soybean.

Raising pigs, sheep and cattle, the farm utilizes its animals to attract visitors by opening up opportunities for interactive activities such as feeding.

Jointly invested in by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, Gochang County and Maeil Dairies, the farm gets busier during the summer season when elementary through high schools nationwide are closed for the two-month vacation. Under the farm's seasonal "happy farming" program, young people can participate in fun farming activities, stamp tours and stage performances.

Opening in 2016 on almost 100,000 square meters of land and after eight years of preparation, Sangha Farm fronts its location in Gochang that was recognized by the UNESCO for its ecologically well-preserved state. The farm also implements maximized local produce consumption by purchasing local farmers' produce which it then promotes to visitors. The farm said the operation benefits both visitors from urban communities and local farmers.