First National Garden Institution Opens in Damyang

Jeonnam Province Opens National Garden Culture Center
A New Hub Expected to Lead the Revitalization of Garden Tourism

National Garden Culture Center Opening Ceremony Site. Provided by Jeonnam Province

On September 18, Jeonnam Province announced that the National Garden Culture Center, which will lead the advancement of the garden culture industry and the revitalization of garden tourism, has opened its doors in Damyang and has begun full-scale operations.

Jeonnam Province has consistently emphasized the need for a national-level specialized institution for the globalization of garden culture, professional research, and industrial development.

The government initially planned to operate the center as a local facility. However, after persistent proposals and efforts by Jeonnam Province to persuade the central government, the project was included as a national initiative in 2021, resulting in the opening of the country’s first specialized garden institution.

At the opening ceremony, more than 300 people attended, including Lim Mira, Deputy Commissioner of the Korea Forest Service; Lee Gaeho, National Assembly member; Jeong Cheolwon, Damyang County Governor; Shim Sangtaek, Chairman of the Korea Arboretum and Garden Management Service; and leaders of domestic garden organizations.

Kim Youngrok, Governor of Jeonnam Province, was unable to attend in person due to a provincial assembly schedule, but conveyed his congratulations and support for the opening of the National Garden Culture Center through a video message.

Governor Kim stated, “I sincerely congratulate all residents of the province on the opening of the country’s first National Garden Culture Center in Damyang, the birthplace of Korean garden culture. This opening is a valuable achievement resulting from Jeonnam Province’s efforts, and together with the National Garden Culture Center, we will usher in a new era for K-Gardens.”

The National Garden Culture Center has established three major strategies: nurturing future talent tailored to the needs of the garden sector, strengthening public services related to garden culture, and taking the lead in globalizing K-Gardens. Through these strategies, the center aims to make garden culture an integral part of everyday life for the public.

In particular, by introducing and standardizing professional garden certification systems, the center will enhance the expertise of garden professionals. It also plans to expand garden culture content and programs that encourage public participation, thereby promoting the spread of garden culture in daily life.

Additionally, the center will establish an international garden network to raise the global profile of K-Gardens. Based on this, Jeonnam Province intends to lay the policy and institutional groundwork to become the capital of garden culture in Korea.

Last year, Jeonnam Province showcased the “Aeyangdan” garden, themed on Damyang Soswaewon, at the Korean Cultural Center in New York, USA, the center of the world. Furthermore, ten gardens from the province were selected among the 30 most beautiful private gardens in Korea, the highest number for any region, demonstrating the excellence of Namdo gardens both domestically and internationally.

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