Porsche Korea restores disrupted waterways and creates wetland garden in Suwon; ‘Yeongheung Harmony Garden’ opens

[Financial News] A wetland garden has been created at Yeongheung Forest Park in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, where urban development had cut off waterways and damaged the forest’s original landscape.
Porsche Korea said on the 6th that it had created ‘Yeongheung Harmony Garden,’ the third ‘Believe in Dream-Park’ biodiversity garden, at Yeongheung Forest Park with Suwon City, Seoul Green Trust and Suwon Green Trust, and held an opening ceremony on the 5th.
Believe in Dream-Park is part of Porsche Korea’s social contribution program ‘Porsche Do Dream.’ It aims to enhance the ecological functions of urban parks and increase biodiversity. The first and second gardens were established in Seoul’s Dongdaemun District in 2024 and 2025. Porsche Korea said the project received the Corporate Partnership Award at the 2026 Seoul Metropolitan Government Garden City Awards. This year, it expanded the project site beyond Seoul to Suwon for the first time.
Yeongheung Harmony Garden covers approximately 1,400 square meters within Yeongheung Forest Park in Yeongtong District, Suwon. The project focused on restoring the declining freshwater wetland ecosystem and improving habitat for wildlife. Wetland terrain reflecting Suwon’s historic waterscapes and ecological characteristics was created, transforming the area into a habitat for a diverse range of organisms. The habitat was divided into five zones according to water levels and sunlight conditions.
The 70 native plant species planted include 16 tree species, represented by 480 trees, and 54 herbaceous species, represented by 2,284 plants. The planting includes wetland plants such as Suwon-goraengi, jinpeori-sae and irises, as well as trees that provide food and habitat for wildlife.
Community involvement was incorporated from the garden’s planning stage. The vegetation and habitats were designed based on a preliminary biodiversity survey by Suwon’s ecological monitoring group and the results of a citizen-participation bioblitz at Yeongheung Forest Park. The garden’s name, ‘Yeongheung Harmony Garden,’ was chosen in a vote involving 1,341 Suwon residents.
The plan is to sustain the garden’s ecological functions after its opening through ongoing maintenance by Suwon City, seasonal care by ‘Susurang Gardeners’—citizen gardeners trained at Yeongheung Arboretum—and gardening activities by residents.
Those attending the opening ceremony included Porsche Korea CEO Mathias Busse, Suwon Mayor Lee Jae-jun, Seoul Green Trust Chair Cho Gyeong-jin and Suwon Green Trust Chair Lee Deuk-hyun. They toured the ecological space and held an opening ceremony.
Busse said, “This project is especially meaningful because it expands Believe in Dream-Park, which began in Seoul, to Suwon and was developed around the area’s ecological characteristics and citizen participation.” He added, “Ongoing management after a garden is established is important for biodiversity conservation. I hope Yeongheung Harmony Garden will become a place that the local community nurtures together and where ecological values continue to thrive.”
Since 2021, Porsche Korea has continued the Believe in Dream project with Seoul Green Trust, supporting urban beekeeping and the creation of ecological environments.
[email protected] Kim Dong-chan Reporter