"Admiration" King Charles Hugged Korean Writer Touched... Jirisan-Inspired 'K Garden'

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King Charles III of the United Kingdom expressed admiration and warmly embraced the artist, drawing attention to the Korean garden at the UK's 'Chelsea Flower Show.'

At the 'Chelsea Flower Show,' a representative British garden and horticulture exhibition that opened on the 22nd (local time), Korean artist Hwang Ji-hae presented the garden titled 'A Letter from a Million Years Past.'

King Charles III of the United Kingdom and writer Hwang Ji-hae
Photo by Yonhap News

The motif of 'A Letter from a Million Years Past' is the herbal plant community in the southeastern part of Jirisan Mountain. It carries a message to protect the environment through herbs and primitive natural landscapes. The garden recreates the wild nature of Jirisan on a 10m by 20m plot using over 300 native plants such as Jiribakkot (a flower unique to Jirisan), the endangered species Nado Seungma, wild ginseng, and deodeok, along with rocks weighing a total of 200 tons.

A small stream representing the lifeline of Jirisan flows between the rocks. At the center stands a 5-meter-high tower inspired by the Jirisan herbal drying facility.

According to Hwang Ji-hae's team, King Charles III visited around 5:30 PM that day, stayed for about seven minutes, and listened carefully to the explanations. Contrary to the schedule, he expressed a desire to enter the garden, surprising the security guards. King Charles III toured the show gardens with Queen Camilla, visiting only three of the competing gardens, with Hwang's work being the first.

After touring the garden, King Charles III reportedly showered praise, saying, "I love it," "brilliant," and "marvellous." Moved by his active interest, when Hwang asked at the end, "May I hug you?" King Charles III replied, "Of course," and smiled as he embraced her.

Famous designer Paul Smith also exclaimed, "Truly special"

Chelsea Flower Show artist Hwang Ji-hae's 'A Letter from a Million Years Ago'
Photo by Yonhap News

In the UK, it is rare for royal figures such as the king to have physical contact beyond handshakes with the general public. The BBC reporters on site told Hwang, "It’s a special day for you that the king entered the garden," and added, "The hug was also lovely."

Earlier in the day, renowned fashion designer Paul Smith spent nearly an hour exploring the garden and exclaimed, "It’s completely natural, with wonderful stones and rare plants," and said, "It’s truly special."

Hwang explained, "The small plants growing beneath rocks symbolizing over 2 billion years of time will look like a letter from a million years ago," adding, "I wanted to talk about the value of Jirisan medicinal plants and the unique environment that nurtures them, as well as the coexistence of nature and humans and actions for future generations."

Designer Paul Smith and writer Hwang Ji-hae
[Photo by Yonhap News]

The competitors in the show garden include Chris Beardshaw, who has won the gold medal 14 times; Mark Gregory, known as the 'King of the Chelsea Show'; and Sarah Price, who designed the London Olympic Park. The results will be announced on the morning of the 23rd, and the event closes on the 27th.

The 'Chelsea Flower Show,' hosted by the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), began in 1913. It is held on a 45,000㎡ site in the affluent Chelsea area in southwest London, adjacent to the River Thames. The event has a close relationship with the royal family, with Queen Elizabeth II visiting annually. Although the daily admission ticket costs about ?58 (approximately 95,000 KRW) for members, it is considered a highly influential event, attracting around 168,000 visitors in total.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.