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111 gardens to bloom at Boramae Park for September's Seoul International Garden Expo

Published: 08 May. 2025, 16:49

People visit the 2024 Seoul International Garden Expo and view garden displays at Ttukseom Hangang Park in Gwangjin District, eastern Seoul, on May 16, 2024. [NEWS1]

Boramae Park in southern Seoul will turn into a massive garden display this fall when the city hosts the 2025 Seoul International Garden Expo from Sept. 22 to Oct. 20, the Seoul Metropolitan Government announced on Thursday.

The park, which spans about 400,000 square meters (99 acres), will feature 111 themed gardens.

First launched in 2015, the annual event marks its 10th edition this year.

Last year’s expo at Ttukseom Hangang Park drew 7.8 million visitors over five months and included 90 gardens.

This year’s event takes place under the theme “Seoul, Green Soul” and will showcase 111 gardens designed by professional landscapers, students, citizens and multicultural families.

Participants include private companies, local governments and public institutions, with special zones designated for each. The “Invitation Gardens” category will include designs by German landscape architect Mark Krieger and Park Seung-jin, winner of the 2024 Seoul Landscape Award.

Five additional entries selected through an open call will come from teams based in Korea, Italy, Germany and the Czech Republic.
Students majoring in landscape architecture will contribute 10 gardens to the “Companion Gardens” section, alongside 16 gardens by citizens and 11 multicultural gardens designed by foreign residents in Korea.

Corporate and institutional participants have expanded their involvement, growing from 21 gardens last year to 33 this year. The expo will also feature a garden market highlighting industry trends.

Seventy companies will showcase products in fields such as garden design, outdoor living and decorative arts.

Additional exhibits include the “Garden Center,” which will sell garden-related items and plants and a special exhibition of garden furniture using outdoor installations.
Visitors can also take part in 63 cultural programs, including garden tours, flower basket workshops, therapeutic gardening classes, garden “workcations” and outdoor garden camping.
This year, the city will apply its “Regulatory Reform Proposal No. 5,” which permits limited commercial activity in public parks during cultural events, allowing food trucks and other vendors.
“We aim to explore new possibilities for garden design through diverse approaches and strengthen the emotional connection between citizens and green spaces,” said Lee Soo-yeon, head of the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s Garden City Bureau. “We hope many residents will experience the joy of everyday greenery through the expo.”

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY HAN EUN-HWA [[email protected]]