Garden named for BTS member J-Hope opens in Seoul Forest
![The J-shaped bench designed after J-Hope of boy band BTS sits in J-Hope Forest in Seoul Forest in eastern Seoul. [SEOUL METROPOLITAN GOVERNMENT]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2023/10/18/6b1c7c6a-ca96-4fff-84c1-cdec69084c0b.jpg)
The J-shaped bench designed after J-Hope of boy band BTS sits in J-Hope Forest in Seoul Forest in eastern Seoul. [SEOUL METROPOLITAN GOVERNMENT]
The Seoul Metropolitan Government on Wednesday said it has created a garden named after J-Hope, a member of the boy band BTS, in eastern Seoul, together with the singer’s fan club.
The garden was formed with donations from the fan club while the city government offered the space.
The 20-square-meter (215 square feet) garden, named J-Hope Forest, is located near the central pond of Seoul Forest in Gwangjin District, eastern Seoul.
More than 200 trees and flowers of 18 different plant species, including skyrocket juniper trees and mountain hydrangea, will beautify the site.
One conspicuous feature of the garden is the J-shaped bench that represents the letter of the singer’s name.
Next to the bench stands a cubical structure with lyrics from J-Hope’s song “Equal Sign” written on it.
“Equal Sign” was one of the 10 tracks that the singer released in his solo album “Jack In The Box” in July last year.
According to the city government, the garden was formed where the BTS member likes to take walks in Seoul Forest.
The city government signed an agreement with J-Hope’s fan club to maintain the site together for five years.
![A cubical structure located next to the J-shaped bench in the J-Hope Forest in eastern Seoul with lyrics from the singer's solo song ″Equal Sign.″ [SEOUL METROPOLITAN GOVERNMENT]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2023/10/18/a72b3e57-fe9d-463b-a622-00cc210f1079.jpg)
A cubical structure located next to the J-shaped bench in the J-Hope Forest in eastern Seoul with lyrics from the singer's solo song ″Equal Sign.″ [SEOUL METROPOLITAN GOVERNMENT]
The metropolitan government announced a day earlier that it would create seven more forests named after celebrities in Nanji Hangang Park in Mapo District, western Seoul, this month.
The city government designated a 10,000-square-meter space in the park dedicated to “celebrity forests” earlier in the year.
“As forests named after celebrities have been scattered across the city, we decided to offer a large space in Nanji Hangang Park to manage different celebrity forests more easily,” an official at the city government told the Korea JoongAng Daily Wednesday.
According to the official, one of the forests named after BTS’s Jungkook has been relocated from Ichon Hangang Park in central Seoul to the space in Nanji Hangang Park as the previous site suffered from heavy downpours recently.
A forest named after Doyoung, a member of the boy band NCT, was one of three celebrity forests created at the site in Nanji Hangang Park earlier in the year.
A total of 10 celebrity forests will open at the site by this month, but the city government said the number will increase significantly in the future.
The metropolitan government plans to develop the place into a tourist site for K-pop fans by constructing signage and facilities demanded by fans in the future.
“We hope the practice of fans responding to climate change and protecting the environment will spread to more fans, people and the world,” said Joo Yong-tae, head of the city government’s Future Hangang Project Headquarters.
BY CHO JUNG-WOO [cho.jungwoo1@joongang.co.kr]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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