Ecological Glass Greenhouse (생태유리온실), Uiryeong Insect Ecology Learning Center (의령곤충생태학습관)

The Uiryeong Insect Ecology Learning Center stands in the county's traditional farming-culture theme park at Mujeon-ri, close to the bull-fighting arena. According to the county's official blog, the project had been chosen in 2010 as a strategic undertaking of the Gyeongnam five-year green growth plan. In July 2014 the local press reported works costing 5.512 billion won (more than 2.7 billion of it national funding) for a building of three storeys above ground and one below, with two glass greenhouses and a building area of 1,801 m²; the county blog later dates the completed building to December 2015, at about 5 billion won. The centre opened to the public in 2016.

This first phase had drawn some 500,000 visitors by January 2024 and 600,000 by March 2025. In 2022 the county had won 500 million won from a programme for regional public science museums, which paid in February 2023 for a rethink of the displays along participatory, playful lines. Passing the 500,000 mark then prompted the building of one more glass greenhouse: work began in January 2024, a completion ceremony was held on 12 March 2025 and the wing opened provisionally on 18 March, pending the building-use permit. It cost 2 billion won, drawn from the fund against the disappearance of local communities. The works closed the centre for about two months during 2025, yet the year ended with a record 132,088 visitors, some 25% more than in 2024. The centre reaches its tenth anniversary in 2026.

The centre combines a building of three storeys above a basement with glass greenhouses. The facility is called a "생태유리온실" (ecological glass greenhouse). On the ground floor the greenhouse sits beside the insect-world hall and a temporary-exhibition room; the upper floor holds the insect research hall and a hands-on learning room for the youngest visitors.

The greenhouse is divided into four climate zones: cold and temperate from the start, desert and tropical since the 2025 extension, which covers 881.2 m² and brings the whole centre to about 3,065 m². The local press recalls that when only two halls existed, up to 3,000 people a day crowded in with some congestion, whereas four halls are expected to take up to 4,000. A 2024 article adds that the greenhouse was fitted with filtration, drainage and life-support systems suited to the organisms on show, with aquatic, grassland and underground habitats recreated so that insects can be seen in their setting.

The living collections are mainly animal. According to the local press, the cold zone shows cold-climate insects, a beetle area, a butterfly garden, Korean amphibians, rabbits and squirrels; the temperate zone, aquatic insects, freshwater fish, doctor fish, raccoons and guinea pigs. The desert zone has tarantulas, meerkats, prairie dogs, land tortoises, hedgehogs and a larva experience zone; the tropical zone, tropical insects, semi-aquatic turtles, tropical birds, reptiles, amphibians of the world and fish.

Among the animals highlighted when the wing opened were a bombardier beetle (폭탄먼지벌레), the tarantula (타란툴라), another beetle (홍단딱정벌레) and a cockroach (이질바퀴). The centre also lets visitors see species under threat in Korea, among them the diving beetle (물방개), the two-spotted stag beetle (두점박이사슴벌레) and the giant water bug (물장군). On the plant side, the official site promises "insect, animal and plant friends" and a butterfly garden.

The greenhouse fills the ground floor of the centre, inside Uiryeong's traditional farming-culture theme park. The upper floor continues the route with the insect research hall and the workshops for young children; close by, the agricultural-culture promotion hall, opened in 2012, and the bull-fighting arena make it easy to extend the outing. A Korean family-travel site presents it as a half-day outing with the neighbouring park.

The mild air inside the greenhouse makes the visit possible in any weather, and several visitors recommend it in winter. The county reports animal-feeding sessions, guided commentary and seasonal exhibitions, as well as a special exhibition planned for the centre's tenth anniversary in 2026. The centre is closed on Mondays.