[Interview] Ryoo Kyung-gi, Jungnang-gu Mayor, "2024 Jungnang Seoul Rose Festival Proves Its Reputation as 'Seoul's Most Beautiful Festival' with 3.03 Million Visitors"

3.03 Million Visitors Came to See 10 Million Roses Blooming at the Perfect Time... Securing the Status of 'Seoul's Most Beautiful Festival' Completed with Resident Participation... Focus on Clean, Safe, and Friendly Festival Management with Large-Scale Staffing

Ryu Kyung-gi, Mayor of Jungnang District

"The 2024 Jungnang Seoul Rose Festival was a time for Jungnang residents to come together once again and enjoy themselves. I am proud of the Jungnang residents who successfully hosted a large festival visited by over 3 million people."

Ryu Kyung-gi, Mayor of Jungnang District, expressed his thoughts after the 2024 Jungnang Seoul Rose Festival.

The 2024 Jungnang Seoul Rose Festival beautifully adorned the vast Jungnangcheon Stream and embankment, stretching 5.45 km, with 10 million roses. The number of visitors reached 3.03 million, an increase of 430,000 from last year. Visitors praised the festival, saying, "The roses exceeded expectations," "This is indeed the most beautiful festival in Seoul," and "Now, when we think of a festival representing May, 'Jungnang Seoul Rose Festival' will be the first to come to mind."

The sections where Jungnang District has actively planted and cultivated roses cover a very extensive area, including the 5.45 km rose tunnel from Mukdongcheon to Jangpyeonggyo Bridge and along the Jungnangcheon riverside. The Jungnang Rose Gardens at Surim Grand Park and five other locations are large flowerbeds that allow for flat viewing. The embankment features tunnel-shaped arches, creating a fantastic continuous view of climbing roses while walking. Including the new variety unique to Jungnang District introduced last year, the "Mangu Rose," 209 rose species from around the world, about 310,000 bushes, and 10 million roses bloom. This year, an additional 8,000 bushes were planted. Various experience and exhibition booths and performances held during the festival completed a rich event full of things to enjoy, eat, and see. In particular, the rose parade, created collaboratively by residents, received great enthusiasm from visitors.

Mayor Ryu stated, "While preparing the festival, we focused on giving Jungnang residents pride in participating as owners of 'the most beautiful festival in Seoul' and leaving visitors with the impression that it is 'safe, clean, and friendly.'"

Another special aspect of the 2024 Jungnang Seoul Rose Festival compared to other festivals is that residents participate as owners from start to finish and complete the festival together. Residents participate from the planning stage. They form a festival preparation committee to plan together from the beginning and gather various opinions for improvement through evaluation meetings after the festival ends.

All the promotional poster models for the rose festival are resident promotional models, and the ideas and participants for the rose parade are all residents who applied from each neighborhood. Especially, the "Jungnang Seoul Rose Festival Success Prayer Walking Contest" held the day before the main event was a religious unification event possible only in Jungnang District.

The festival also significantly boosted the local economy. Booths for local small and medium-sized enterprises and traditional markets inside the festival site saw a large increase in sales and promotional effects on the day. Some businesses participated in the Jungnang Rose Week price discount system, offering a 10% discount on all menu items to visitors, were selected as "Rose Michelin" restaurants, and received great responses linked to visit certification SNS events.

Mayor Ryu said, "The Jungnang Seoul Rose Festival is a legacy of Jungnang that will continue for more than 100 years. To this end, we will focus on cultivating roses, the most important resource of the festival, expand resident participation, and make it a festival that truly comforts and enjoys together with residents."

Just as the Rose Festival in Kazanluk City, Bulgaria, which Jungnang District models itself after, has a 120-year tradition, Jungnang District is determined to record the history of the festival one by one and build tradition and reputation.

Mayor Ryu Kyung-gi said, "As Jungnang District enters the era of a 10 trillion won budget, calmly leading revolutionary changes and growth in education, economy, and urban spatial structure, we gained greater confidence through the Jungnang Seoul Rose Festival. With this momentum, we will develop the Jungnang Seoul Rose Festival into Korea's representative festival and nurture Jungnang District into the most livable city in Seoul."