Dokdo Wildflower Garden Established at Daegu CC Golf Course... Six Native Species Planted in 70-Pyeong Area

Yeungnam University (President Choi Oechul) announced on April 28 that its Dokdo Research Institute has established the "Dokdo Wildflower Garden" within the Daegu Country Club (Chairman Woo Kijeong, "Daegu CC") golf course. This newly created Dokdo Wildflower Garden is the first initiative of a project by the Yeungnam University Dokdo Research Institute, aiming to distribute native plants from Dokdo nationwide by germinating and cultivating seeds collected from Dokdo.

The Yeungnam University Dokdo Research Institute and Daegu CC signed an agreement for the creation of the Dokdo Wildflower Garden. Under this agreement, Daegu CC provided a garden site within the golf course, while the Yeungnam University Dokdo Research Institute supplied wildflowers cultivated for several years at its Dokdo Native Plant Garden and Dokdo Natural Ecology Greenhouse on campus. The newly established Dokdo Wildflower Garden features six representative wildflowers native to Dokdo—Nippon Daisy, Sedum Takesimense, Lychnis wilfordii, Portulaca oleracea, Campanula takesimana, and Lilium lancifolium—which will be on display from May to early December.

'Dokdo Wildflower Garden' Established Within Daegu Country Club

Professor Lee Taewoo of the Yeungnam University Dokdo Research Institute stated, "The Dokdo Wildflower Garden currently covers an area of just over 70 pyeong (approximately 231 square meters), and we plan to expand it to 300 pyeong (approximately 991 square meters) in stages. Out of about 70 plant species currently growing on Dokdo, we have initially selected and planted six species."

Woo Kijeong, Chairman of Daegu CC, has long been involved in various activities rooted in his exceptional patriotism, spanning fields such as sports and culture. The creation of the Dokdo Wildflower Garden is also part of Chairman Woo’s dedication to supporting Dokdo. It is well-known that this patriotic spirit was greatly influenced by his late father, Woo Jerin, who led the anti-Japanese independence movement (Wondaedong Shortwave Radio Incident) during the Japanese colonial period and was imprisoned for his actions.

Chairman Woo Kijeong commented, "By creating the Dokdo Wildflower Garden within the golf course, I expect that visitors will not only enjoy golf but also foster a love for Dokdo and a sense of patriotism through viewing the beautiful wildflowers native to Dokdo."

Choi Jaemok, Director of the Yeungnam University Dokdo Research Institute, said, "With the establishment of the 'Dokdo Wildflower Garden' at Daegu CC as a starting point, we plan to gradually expand the distribution of Dokdo plants to kindergartens, schools, and public institutions nationwide, thereby continuously promoting the spread of Dokdo wildflowers. I hope that, beyond an intellectual understanding of sovereignty over Dokdo, people will nurture a heartfelt appreciation and emotional connection to Dokdo through these beautiful native plants."

The Yeungnam University Dokdo Research Institute, a policy-focused research institute under the Ministry of Education, operates the nation's first educational "Dokdo Native Plant Garden" and "Dokdo Natural Ecology Greenhouse" on its campus. These facilities are used for educational programs to teach kindergarten, elementary, middle, and high school students, as well as the general public, about Dokdo's native plants and ecological environment.

In particular, from spring to fall, many local children visit the Dokdo Native Plant Garden along with the Yeungnam University Folk Village, making it a natural space for Dokdo education and fostering awareness of Dokdo among young visitors. In addition, Professor Park Sunju’s team from the Department of Life Sciences at Yeungnam University has been conducting annual scholarly surveys on Dokdo, collecting seeds of wildflowers, cultivating them in the laboratory, and bringing them to bloom in the greenhouse for several years. The team continues to carry out seed germination and cultivation to increase the population of rare species.

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