To find out the status and characteristics of exotic plants in the Gwangreung Forest, a representative forest ecosystem in central Korea, we surveyed the species composition, coverage, and habitat illuminance of exotic plant species in a set of quadrats established along roads and trails in and around the Gwangreung Forest and buffer zone areas, In 1932, only five species of exotic plants were found along paths and roads in the Gwangreung Forest. However, the number of species in the forest has dramatically increased since 2000, when Ambrosia artemisiifolia L. and A. trifida L. were first recorded, and in 2007, 38 species of exotic plants were recorded. Among the 11 families, 23 genera and 25 species of exotic plants recorded in the quadrats, Compositae was the most common family (11 species), and perennial herbs, 42%, were the most frequently occurring life type, followed by annual herbs (31%) and biennial herbs (19%). Plants of North American origin comprised 48% of exotic species identified in our surveys. Exotics were found most frequently in quadrats along roads in the forest, followed by the buffer zones and hiking trails. The number of species and individuals of exotic plants decreased as we moved deeper into the forest, but Aster pilosus Willd. and Erigeron annuus (L.) Pers. were identified along hiking trails in the interior, and appeared to be capable of spreading further and more rapidly into the forest than other species.