Chuncheon wins bid to host next year’s Garden Industry Expo, a stepping stone to the 2032 International Garden Expo

【Financial News, Chuncheon—Kim Gi-seop】 An industry fair featuring 30 garden businesses and a garden show showcasing 26 gardens will fill the Camp Page Urban Forest in Chuncheon next fall. The site was formerly a U.S. military base.
According to Chuncheon City on the 7th, Mayor Yuk Dong-han officially announced at a media briefing held that day to mark the 100th day of the ninth popularly elected administration that the city had won the bid to host next year’s Garden Industry Expo. The expo will run for four days next October in and around the climate-resilient urban forest at the former Camp Page site in Geunhwa-dong. The city, the Korea Forest Service and Gangwon State will jointly cover the total project cost of 1.5 billion won.
The expo will go beyond an event where visitors simply view gardens, taking shape as an industry-focused fair that offers a comprehensive look at the present and future of the garden industry. Thirty companies will take part in the Garden Industry Fair, and 26 gardens will be showcased at the Korea Garden Show. A special session involving 15 companies, a Garden Industry Conference, a Garden Banquet and Active Garden are also planned. A hackathon applying artificial intelligence to the garden industry will be held as well. Programs for citizens and tourists will include hands-on activities, education and consultation, cultural and arts performances, and garden tours.
The city plans to make the Camp Page Urban Forest the main venue and expand the expo grounds to garden sites across the city, including the Sangjungdo Lake Regional Garden and the National Garden Materials Center. An 18-hectare Lake Regional Garden is under development on Sangjungdo, with themed gardens, ecological trails and walking paths. The National Garden Materials Center in Jungdo-dong, which is responsible for research and development and the industrialization of garden materials, began trial operations this month.
Hosting the expo also ties in with the city’s efforts to develop itself as a garden city. Last September, the city was selected in the Korea Forest Service’s competition for next year’s Garden City Development Project, securing 6.5 billion won, including 5 billion won in national funding and 1.5 billion won in provincial funding. From next year through 2030, it will invest a total of 10 billion won to create four garden zones linking Goguma Island, the waterfront of Uiam Lake, Gongjicheon and the city’s entrances. Along with hub, linear and pop-up gardens, the city will train citizen gardeners, offer garden education and healing programs, and establish a garden center to bring garden culture into residents’ daily lives and expand it into tourism and industry.
The city’s ultimate goal is to host the 2032 International Garden Expo. It has been developing an initial plan since conducting a basic concept study for the expo last year, and plans to use next year’s event as a stepping stone.
“Starting at the Camp Page Urban Forest and extending to the Lake Regional Garden and the National Garden Materials Center, all of Chuncheon will become one big expo venue,” Mayor Yuk said. “We will successfully hold next year’s expo so that gardens become a city asset that enriches residents’ lives and helps grow tourism and industry, and carry that momentum through to winning the bid to host the 2032 International Garden Expo.”

[email protected] Kim Gi-seop Reporter