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Seoul Grand Park set to welcome spring visitors
Tulips bloom at Seoul Grand Park in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, April 2025. Courtesy of Seoul Grand Park
By Park Ung
Seoul Grand Park is rolling out seasonal maintenance and landscaping projects as it prepares to welcome spring visitors, the Seoul Metropolitan Government said Friday.
Opened in 1984 in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, the park spans about 9.13 million square meters and features Seoul Zoo, the nation’s largest zoo, home to about 1,950 animals from 216 species, as well as Seoul Land, an amusement park, and a branch of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art.
To help maintain the trees and the park environment, workers washed 983 trees — including cherry and zelkova — removing fine dust and pollutants that had accumulated over the winter.
Workers also pruned trees across the park, removing hazardous branches and dead trees. Landscaping byproducts, such as trimmed branches, were reused as natural toys for animals in outdoor enclosures, helping encourage natural behavior and reduce stress.
The park’s Theme Garden is preparing for roses to bloom in May, with winter covers removed and 500 bags of fertilizer applied as spacing adjustments, transplanting and pruning get underway.
Spring flowers are being planted along major paths and gardens, including about 11,000 tulips, daffodils and daisies, while poppy and purple mustard seeds are being sown to create flower-lined paths expected to peak from April to May.
To expand its garden initiative launched in 2021, the park will create 44 gardens, including small gardens near the zoo’s large cat exhibit and visitor-designed gardens where participants can create and display their own spaces.
“We will do our best to create a safe and relaxing environment where children and visitors can enjoy the arrival of spring after the long winter,” Park Jin-soon, head of Seoul Grand Park, said. “We hope citizens will enjoy the spring returning to Seoul Grand Park and regain energy in their daily lives.”