Knitting Sweaters for Street Trees Along Deoksugung Stone Wall Road

[Seoul District News] Jung-gu, Knitted Clothes Created by 100 Volunteers Dress 230 Street Trees Along Deoksugung Stone Wall Road and Jeongdong-gil ~ Exhibition from October to Late February Offers Various Attractions and Photo Spots ... Seoul Gangseo-gu Establishes Mid- to Long-Term Plan for ‘Safe Environment City Coexisting with Nature’

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] The Sogong-dong Community Center in Jung-gu, Seoul (Mayor Kim Gil-seong) has adorned the street trees along the Deoksugung Stone Wall Road to Jeongdong-gil area, a popular tourist attraction, with ‘Graffiti Knitting’.

‘Graffiti Knitting’ is an eco-friendly street art activity that involves dressing street trees in knitted garments. It serves the dual purpose of protecting trees from the winter cold and providing citizens with diverse visual attractions.

Selected as a 2022 Sogong-dong resident participatory budget project to heal the hearts of citizens weakened by COVID-19, the project was jointly carried out by the Jung-gu Sogong-dong Community Center and the Seoul Jeongdong Council.

From June to September, over 100 residents interested in knitting and volunteer groups from the Jung-gu Volunteer Center participated twice a week in classes led by local instructors. They created various knitted works themed around ‘flowers’ and directly installed them on the trees.

The volunteers’ age range was diverse, from middle school students to elderly seniors, who gathered to share know-how on creating the works and discuss the production process, bringing the pieces to life.

The knitted tree garments were installed on 230 street trees along Jeongdong-gil, from the entrance of Deoksugung-gil to the Kyunghyang Newspaper building, starting in October. The exhibition will continue until February next year, offering colorful sights to residents and tourists visiting Deoksugung Stone Wall Road.

Kim Gil-seong, Mayor of Jung-gu, said, “The various knitted garments completed over four months with the dedication and effort of residents warm not only the trees but also the hearts of viewers,” adding, “Please take a walk along Jeongdong-gil this winter and feel the colorful warmth.”

Gangseo-gu, Seoul (Mayor Kim Tae-woo) announced a mid- to long-term roadmap to create a ‘safe environmental city coexisting with nature’ so that 570,000 Gangseo residents can enjoy a healthy and pleasant life.

On the afternoon of the 21st, the district held the ‘2340 Gangseo-gu Environmental Conservation Plan Establishment Final Report Meeting’ at the district office’s large conference room, attended by executives and project stakeholders.

Participants shared the results of the research conducted so far and exchanged opinions on future projects.

The district presented a total of 23 indicators across seven key areas tailored to domestic and international environmental conditions and regional characteristics: ▲Natural Environment ▲Soil and Groundwater ▲Air Environment ▲Water Environment ▲Noise and Vibration ▲Waste ▲Energy and Environmental Management.

Based on the results of this final report meeting, the district plans to proceed with projects step-by-step over 18 years from 2023 to 2040 after thorough review and supplementation.

Mayor Kim Tae-woo emphasized, “Due to rapid climate change caused by global warming, abnormal weather is occurring worldwide. The importance of environmental conservation cannot be overstated.”

He added, “We will carefully review areas needing improvement to ensure the ‘2340 Gangseo-gu Environmental Conservation Plan’ proceeds without setbacks and do our best to create a safe environmental city in Gangseo that coexists with nature.”

◆Yangcheon-gu ▲Audit Officer Lee Byung-cheon ▲General Affairs Department Yoon Jeong-hye ▲Public Relations Department Yoo Dong-sik ▲Planning and Budget Department Jo Mi-hee ▲Sinwol 7-dong Moon Hee-jung ▲Sinjeong 1-dong Jang Ho-dong (Effective January 1, 2023)