In 1983, President Chun Doo-hwan commemorated Arbor Day by planting a lacebark pine in front of Sangchunjae. The lacebark pine, true to its name in Korean, is a pine species with white bark. When young, its bark has almost a bluish tint, but as it ages, large scale-like pieces peel away, gradually revealing white tones, becoming almost entirely white in old age. However, this particular lacebark pine is unusual because its bark takes longer to whiten despite having passed the usual age for this change. The tree's white bark symbolizes brightness, cleanliness, integrity, and auspiciousness.

Originating from China, it is believed that envoys who traveled between Korea and China brought the lacebark pine to Korea. Rare even in its native region, the lacebark pine has long been valued in Korea, resonating with the Korean affinity for white. Of the five lacebark pine trees designated as natural monuments in Korea, the one on the Constitutional Court’s grounds, estimated to be 600 years old, is especially noted for its unusually white bark, serving as a classic example of old lacebark pine trees.

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