A "City Garden" of Flowers and Trees Unfolds in Jeonju

Industrial Exhibition at World Cup Plaza,
Garden Exhibition at Deokjin Park

Thirty-Five Gardens Created and Maintained by Citizens

Six Years of Growth, Now with the "Korea" Title

This spring, residents of Jeonju found themselves encountering a transformed urban landscape while walking between World Cup Plaza and Deokjin Park. Gardens filled with plants and accessories from 146 garden-related companies, as well as gardens created collaboratively by artists and citizens, appeared across the city. The "2026 Korea Jeonju Garden Industry Expo" opened on May 8 at Jeonju World Cup Plaza.

Jeonju City, Jeonbuk, held the opening ceremony for the '2026 Korea Jeonju Garden Industry Expo' on the 8th at the main stage of the expo hall set up at Jeonju World Cup Plaza. About 300 attendees participated, including Wo Beomgi, Mayor of Jeonju, the expo organizing committee, garden artists, green gardeners, representatives of participating companies, and general citizens. Photo by Jeonju City

The opening ceremony, attended by about 300 people including Jeonju Mayor Woo Beomgi, garden artists, representatives of participating companies, and citizens, began with a performance by Jeonju's honorary ambassador, Cha O-reum. The event continued with an awards ceremony for selected artists from the Korea Garden Show, followed by the opening performance. After viewing the industrial exhibition at World Cup Plaza, attendees moved on to the garden exhibition at Deokjin Park.

The expo will run for five days, until May 12. This year's theme is "Jeonju Garden Madang for All," meaning a garden created together by all citizens.

The biggest change for this year's expo is that it is divided into two locations. World Cup Plaza (100,000 square meters) serves as the venue for the industrial exhibition and business networking space, where garden-related companies are gathered. Deokjin Park (70,000 square meters) operates as an exhibition space featuring both artist gardens and citizen gardens.

Previously, garden installations for the expo were mainly concentrated at World Cup Plaza, but this year, the space has expanded to include Deokjin Park and the entire city, transforming Jeonju into a single garden city.

This year’s industrial exhibition features 146 companies showcasing the latest garden trends, including plant materials, garden supplies, landscaping materials, and facility technologies. At the Business Lounge located inside the Jeonju International Drone Sports Center at World Cup Plaza, one-on-one consultations between producers and buyers will take place. There will also be exhibitions of outstanding plant varieties, industrial tours, and expert conferences.

The core of this year’s expo is citizen participation. Thirty-five citizen-participation gardens, created throughout Jeonju, are managed directly by citizen garden artists, "Green Gardeners" (local garden volunteers), and residents, who are involved in everything from design to maintenance and management.

At Deokjin Park, five artist gardens from the Korea Garden Show—co-hosted by the National Garden Culture Institute and Jeonju City—have been installed, along with one Seoul Friendship Garden and four Corporate Accompaniment Gardens. Across the expo venues, a variety of programs are being offered, including garden interpretation tours, garden talk shows, fragrance experiences, and hands-on gardening activities.

The Jeonju Garden Industry Expo, now in its sixth year since its inception in 2021, aims to foster the garden industry and expand garden culture in citizens’ daily lives. The event has grown in scale every year. At the fourth expo held in 2024, 138 companies participated and more than 380,000 visitors attended.

Last year’s fifth expo featured a large number of professional garden artists and 162 garden industry companies. This year, for the first time, the event is being held under the national title "Korea."

Jeonju City hopes this year’s expo will go beyond a simple exhibition to establish itself as an industrial platform combining production, exchange, and hands-on experiences in the garden industry. During the expo, Deokjin Park is open to citizens as a modern reinterpretation of a traditional garden and as a new urban attraction.

Mayor Woo Beomgi of Jeonju said, "We will continue to create a unique Jeonju-style garden city where industry, culture, and citizens’ daily lives blend into one."

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