Kang Byeongdeok: "I Will Turn the Misa Island National Garden into the Mecca of Korea's Garden Industry"

Kang Byeongdeok, Special Policy Advisor to the Democratic Party Leader
Announces Third Pledge: "K-Garden, Garden City Hanam"
Creation of a "Garden Industry Cluster" Centered on Misa Island
"Misa Island Will Complete the Ecological Green Way"

On February 13, Kang Byeongdeok, Policy Special Advisor to the Democratic Party of Korea leader, officially announced his third campaign pledge to change the future of Hanam: the creation of “K-Garden, Garden City Hanam.”

Bird's-eye view of K Garden Hanam. Provided by candidate Kang Byeongdeok.

In his announcement that day, Special Advisor Kang stated, “The future competitiveness of Hanam does not lie in high-speed, hasty development or concrete, but in nature, culture, and the quality of people’s lives,” expressing his ambition to revitalize the local economy through a garden city that connects Hanam’s mountain foothills, the Han River, and the urban center.

He went on to say, “Misa Island is not just a simple river area, but the starting point of the Han River and a place filled with memories,” explaining that he would reinterpret, in a contemporary way, the past scenery of the Han River once filled with “clear waterside sand (Misa, 渼沙)” and recreate it as a garden that everyone will want to visit.

The core of the Misa Island National Garden project is the creation of a national garden of approximately 840,000 square meters in the Misa-dong area, a 21-kilometer forest garden trail, and an 8-kilometer Han River waterfront garden. In addition, a 28-kilometer urban garden trail will be created to connect with the old downtown, and further, a representative national garden industry cluster of Korea will be attracted to Hanam. The strategy is not a simple green space expansion project, which is popular nationwide, but a plan to elevate Hanam City to the next level as Korea’s leading garden cluster city through ecological restoration, the creation of green content, and the attraction of the garden industry.

The core of Special Advisor Kang’s “K-Garden” policy is a structure that expands from a point (Misa Island), to a line (the rivers), and then to a plane (the entire city). The garden axis completed at Misa Island will connect to Mangwol Stream, Deokpung Stream, Sangok Stream, Neungan Stream, Beolmal Stream, and Hak-am Stream, forming an ecological river-based “Green Way.”

Special Advisor Kang announced that Hanam’s river maintenance would be shifted from simple landscape improvement to a focus on ecological restoration, and that a walking- and bicycle-centered access system would be established to redesign the city so that gardens can be reached within 10 minutes of everyday living areas. He also plans to differentiate each section and link it to nearby commercial districts by creating: a Han River Garden that reflects Hanam’s history and culture, a Four-Season Garden with plants that change by season, a Healing Garden for families to relax, an Ecological Garden focused on ecological education, and a Cultural Garden combined with the arts.

He further explained that, centered on the Misa Island National Garden, a garden industry cluster will be created, and a new Garden School will be established focusing on plant production, garden materials, design, construction, education, and exhibition and tourism industries, in order to connect with small business owners. This is a comprehensive strategy to expand garden culture into jobs and the local economy, thereby simultaneously achieving high value-added, eco-friendly employment.

Policy Special Advisor Kang stated, “The garden industry, a high value-added eco-friendly industry, is a future industry that raises the image of the city while creating a sustainable economic base,” adding, “We will build a garden industry cluster, attract related companies, and foster Hanam as the center of the K-Garden industry.”

Policy Special Advisor Kang emphasized, “The Green Way is already a global trend, and leaving behind green assets is the truest form of future investment.” He continued, “The National Garden to be completed on Misa Island is not just a campaign pledge but a declaration that will change Hanam’s urban philosophy,” and pledged, “We will surely realize Hanam as a city that breathes with nature, a city people want to walk in, and a city where people want to stay.”

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