Olympics Big Loser: 'Sacred' South Korean Forest Razed For Ski Complex

The 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics have not even begun yet but there is already a big loser if you ask environmentalists: a "sacred" South Korean forest razed to accommodate a new competitive ski complex.

Thousands of trees came down from the slopes of Mount Gariwang in the northeastern province of Gangwon to make room for the new Jeongseon Alpine Center. Despite the event organizers' assurances that trees would be replaced once the games are complete, opponents remain skeptical.

The 500-acre virgin forest is considered sacred because of its connections to the Chosun dynasty, Korea's last dynasty that ruled from the 14th to 19th century until it's downfall in 1897. Mount Gariwang and declared the mountain a "royal and forbidden area" where the king's personal ginseng was grown.

(MORE: Pyeongchang Winter Olympic Games Forecast: Bone-Chilling Cold)

Environmental activists say more than 58,000 trees were destroyed to make way for the Olympic venue.

Before construction began, the environmentalists noted that other ski resorts in the country, including Yongpyong, one of South Korea's most popular ski resorts, could have hosted the Olympics under the "exceptional circumstances" rule. Event organizers disagreed and said Mount Gariwang was the only site that met all criteria, including the International Ski Federation stipulation that all downhill runs be from a height of 800 meters above sea level.

“(It) is unnecessary to build a new ski resort on Mt. Gariwang. An existing one can be utilized,” Yoon Ki-don, secretary general of Green Korea said, according to the Korean Times.

Organizers have promised to return 1,200 trees to the site once the games are completed, the Guardian reported.