Gangneung City’s Hyangho Garden in Jumunjin Selected for Next Year’s Local Garden Project After Three Years of Effort

Twelve Unique Theme Gardens Showcasing the Distinctive Character of Gangneung

The Hyangho Garden in Jumunjin, Gangneung City, Gangwon Province (Mayor Kim Hongkyu), has been selected for the “Local Garden” category of the 2026 Local Decentralization Project hosted by Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province, and the project will now move forward in earnest.

Changpowon Selected for 2026 Local Decentralization Project. Provided by Gangneung City.

The Hyangho Garden development project aims to create the largest garden in the Yeongdong region, utilizing the beautiful natural scenery around Hyangho on a site of approximately 1.03 million square meters. The plan includes establishing twelve unique theme gardens characteristic of Gangneung, such as Ojuk Garden, Maehyang Garden, and Changpowon, across four different zones.

Since 2023, the city has continuously applied for the Local Decentralization Project to Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province, but was unsuccessful twice due to budgetary constraints and prioritization issues.

The appearance at the time of applying for the Gangneung Jumunjin Hyangho Garden construction project in 2023.

In response, the city completely revised its project plan, completed administrative procedures in parallel with land acquisition through active cooperation from residents, and developed an implementation plan reflecting the opinions of both residents and experts, thereby increasing the feasibility of the project. As a result, the city achieved a significant milestone by being selected on its third attempt this year, marking a new turning point for the Hyangho Garden project.

The “Local Garden” category of the Local Decentralization Project guarantees a total project budget of 6 billion won (3.9 billion won from the province and 2.1 billion won from the city). Gangneung City plans to invest 1.5 billion won in 2026 to officially launch the Hyangho Garden development project.

Garden and Facility Layout by Region. Provided by Gangneung City

Kim Hongkyu, Mayor of Gangneung, stated, “This selection for the Local Decentralization Project is a valuable achievement made possible by the joint efforts of citizens and the administration. We will do our utmost to ensure that Hyangho Garden becomes a new landmark in northern Gangneung, contributes to revitalizing the local economy and tourism, and creates garden-related jobs that will lead to increased income for local residents.”

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