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| An aerial view of Ocheon Green Park, one of the key attractions of Suncheonman International Garden Expo 2023 / Courtesy of Suncheon city |
By Lee Hae-rin
The southern coastal city of Suncheon plans to present an eco-friendly future urban planning design that enables carbon neutrality through an international expo that will be held in April for the first time in 10 years.
Suncheon held a press conference, Friday, in Seoul, to mark a 50-day countdown to the seven-month Suncheonman International Garden Expo. The 200-billion won ($157 million) international expo is scheduled to kick off on April 1 and run through Oct. 31.
"The international expo aims to present a future city model via creative urban planning," said Suncheon Mayor Roh Kwan-kyu. "In this time of climate change, the expo will present the most realistic and effective solutions to achieve carbon neutrality."
Jointly hosted by Suncheon City, South Jeolla Province and the Korea Forest Service under the Ministry of Environment, the expo is the country's first government-sponsored and authorized international event since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
It is also approved by the Association of International Horticultural Producers (AIPH), a global trading organization of horticultural experts founded in 1948 that promotes and holds international garden and flora events.
This is the second edition of the international event after a 10-year hiatus. In 2013, the event was held in a 111-hectare area mainly around Suncheonman National Garden and the Suncheon Bay wetland. This year, however, the event spans over 435 hectares, encompassing the city center.
Ocheon Green Park, one of the key features of the international event, is a cultural space with an area of 250,000 square meters, which was originally a detention basin, or a reservoir that stored water to prevent natural disasters.
Also, the event features 13 types of international gardens from Europe and Asia, as well as barefoot trails, a grass garden built from what was originally an asphalt road, and the country's first-ever floating gardens on a river.
Suncheon biosphere reserve is a UNESCO natural heritage site designated in 2018 for its biological resources and biodiversity in terrestrial ecosystems around Mount Mohusan and Mount Jogyesan, as well as the coastal tidal flat wetland ecosystems found in Suncheonman Bay.
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| Suncheon Mayor Roh Kwan-kyu, center, and the event's honorary ambassadors speak about the expo during a press conference at Seoul Press Center, Friday. From left, the honorary ambassadors include foreign TV personalities Abishek Gupta from India, Alberto Mondi from Italy, Daniel Lindemann from Germany and 'pansori' master Bae Il-dong. Courtesy of Suncheon city |
Roh believes the international event, to which the city aims to draw about 8 million international and domestic visitors, is "priceless," in terms of its economic effect.
The city expects the expo to present a solution to climate change and expand the garden culture, which will create an "unimaginable ripple effect to people's mental and emotional health," according to the mayor.
Some Korean and foreign celebrities were appointed as the expo's honorary ambassadors on Friday and promised to promote the event worldwide.
The honorary ambassadors are Korean "pansori" master singer Bae Il-dong and three foreign TV personalities in Korea ― Daniel Lindemann from Germany, Alberto Mondi from Italy, and Abishek Gupta from India who goes by the pseudonym Lucky.
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