After Creating ‘Kkotbat Garden’ in Mullae-dong, Declaration of ‘City of Flowers’ and ‘Garden City’... Commitment to Carbon Neutrality with Creation of Attractive Garden in Dorim-dong and ‘Moss Garden’ in Dangsan-dong... Residents Send Praise Letters
Choi Ho-kwon, Mayor of Yeongdeungpo District, created the ‘Flower Garden’ in Mullae-dong on May 8.
Then, on the 23rd, he held a press briefing at the city hall press room and declared his intention to transform Yeongdeungpo into a ‘Garden City’ filled with the scent of flowers.
This was the first response from a local district following Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon’s declaration to develop Seoul as a ‘Garden City.’
Subsequently, from May 24 to 26, a garden festival was held at the Mullae-dong Flower Garden.
Choi Ho-kwon, Yeongdeungpo District Mayor (second from the right), took a commemorative photo with the residents after creating the moss garden.
◆ Yeongdeungpo District Declares ‘City of Flowers’ and ‘Garden City’... Aligning with Mayor Oh Se-hoon’s ‘Garden City’ Policy
Mayor Choi announced his vision to plant and nurture flowers and trees throughout everyday spaces such as parks, streetsides, alleys, rivers, and leftover land, creating oasis-like gardens in every corner of the neighborhood where residents can enjoy leisure time. He declared Yeongdeungpo as the ‘City of Flowers, Garden City Yeongdeungpo.’
Yeongdeungpo had the image of an old, worn-down old downtown area with no mountains and densely packed ironworks factories emitting iron dust. With the promotion of ‘Garden City Yeongdeungpo,’ the district is determined to radically change its urban image and be reborn as a new ‘young city! Yeongdeungpo’ where residents enjoy garden culture in their daily lives.
The district has focused on expanding parks and green spaces to provide residents with pleasant living and resting areas. As a result, the per capita park and green space area increased from 9.5㎡ in 2022 to 10.2㎡ as of 2024.
However, this declaration of ‘Garden City Yeongdeungpo’ is expected to fundamentally change the perception of the existing green space projects, which had focused on quantitative expansion. Mayor Choi defined a garden as “a cultural and artistic work utilizing nature, a space of leisure and happiness, and a healing space for a healthy daily life.” As the only cultural city in Seoul, Yeongdeungpo plans to create uniquely specialized gardens by incorporating artistic designs such as exhibiting works by local artists in the gardens or integrating art with nature, allowing residents to encounter rest and art throughout their daily lives.
Choi Ho-kwon, Yeongdeungpo District Mayor, with children at the opening ceremony of Mullae-dong Flower Garden
◆ Start of ‘Garden City’ Creation with Mullae-dong Flower Garden
The public land in Mullae-dong where the Flower Garden was created was originally donated by the late Korean-Japanese businessman Seo Gap-ho (徐甲虎, 1915?1976), founder of Bangrim Spinning Mill, for the development of Yeongdeungpo in 2001. However, for the past 23 years, it had been underutilized, blocked off by the district office’s material warehouse and high fences. It was an unpleasant sight, and residents had repeatedly demanded its demolition. With a 2.3 billion KRW budget support from Seoul City, the garden was finally created, transforming the space into a wide-open healing area.
The spinning mill where my mother and sisters once worked hard has now been reborn as a flower-filled garden, returning to the residents’ hands after 23 years.
The Mullae-dong Flower Garden was designed as a resident-friendly garden that considers various age groups so that all residents can enjoy rest and leisure. In the flower garden, children and seniors alike can cultivate flowers and trees together, play in the sand, exercise outdoors, walk barefoot on the clay path, and enjoy leisure culture in daily life.
Choi Ho-kwon, Mayor of Yeongdeungpo District, said, “It is meaningful to declare a new start for Garden City Yeongdeungpo together with the residents, beginning with the Mullae-dong Flower Garden. We will create oasis-like gardens in every corner of Yeongdeungpo and gift spaces of rest and healing where residents can enjoy a richer life.”
◆ Creation of Dorim-dong Charming Garden
Mayor Choi also initiated the creation of the ‘Dorim-dong Charming Garden.’
On the green area in front of the badminton court, which had become vacant land, 350 trees of 7 species including Four Seasons Rose, Western Beach Rose, and Butterfly Bush, as well as 1,500 herbaceous plants of 4 species such as Perennial Salvia and Wintergreen, were planted to provide residents with a pleasant and beautiful garden.
Near the Charming Garden, at the Dorim detention basin, 200 million KRW of city funds were invested to ensure the successful hosting of Dorim-dong’s representative festival, the Rose Festival. Facilities such as night lighting were installed, and 1,500 rose bushes and 5,000 herbaceous plants were planted in full preparation.
◆ Creation of ‘Moss Garden’ at Dangsan Park Opposite the District Office... Practicing Carbon Neutrality
On the 9th, the district created and opened a ‘Moss Garden’ with Yeongdeungpo’s unique characteristics at Dangsan Park, located opposite the district office.
The Moss Garden is a healing space that revitalized the old ecological pond within Dangsan Park. Various types of moss and trees harmonize to create a mysterious atmosphere as if one is in a primeval forest.
The existing ecological pond had been difficult to maintain due to frequent breakdowns of underwater pumps and aging facilities, resulting in high maintenance costs. Especially during hot summers, many complaints arose due to flies and mosquitoes around the pond.
Considering the location of Dangsan Park adjacent to a road, the district transformed the ecological pond into a living, open green space by utilizing moss, which has carbon reduction effects.
The moss, the theme of this garden, absorbs greenhouse gases, fine dust, and carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and releases oxygen. Its value as a plant to respond to the recent climate crisis is increasing. The district maximized these advantages of moss to create the garden, improving urban aesthetics and practicing carbon neutrality.
For the Moss Garden, the district carefully examined the surrounding environment of Dangsan Park and selected the most suitable moss species such as feather moss and frost moss. Various trees and stones were arranged around the moss to complete a garden with a strong primeval forest feel.
Choi Ho-kwon, Mayor of Yeongdeungpo District, said, “Green plants like moss not only produce oxygen but also provide psychological stability to viewers, offering forest healing effects. We will continue to create unique, nature-friendly gardens that can only be seen in Yeongdeungpo, making healing spaces where anyone can easily enjoy leisure.”
Choi Ho-kwon, Mayor of Yeongdeungpo District (left), is touring the 'Moss Garden' created in Dangsan Garden.
◆ Praise Letter from Yeongdeungpo Resident to Mayor Choi Draws Attention
A resident sent the following message titled ‘Garden City Yeongdeungpo!’ to Mayor Choi:
Mosses, which absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and release oxygen, are the first bryophytes in the evolutionary history of life on Earth. They are living organisms that can contribute to carbon neutrality in the era of climate crisis. They are precious natural ecosystem resources that maintain vitality even under tall trees or shrubs where sunlight is scarce.
In the 1980s, the UK government planted trees in northern wetlands for timber production, causing trouble. It is estimated that the wetlands and mosses there absorb about 400 million tons of carbon dioxide, but planting trees damaged the wetlands and mosses. As carbon reduction policies became mainstream, this effort turned out to be counterproductive. The plant biomass, which is only about 4% of the ecosystem here, can absorb the carbon emissions from all households and industrial facilities in Scotland, and the entire wetland’s absorption matches the amount fixed by all US forests. Since 1997, efforts have been underway to restore the wetlands by cutting down the trees and rewetting the area.
Thinking about the future and loving the climate and life, ‘green stay’ Mayor of the district!!!
I feel deep gratitude, inspiration, and support.
The freshness of moss comes to mind as an image. Among perfumes, the scent of Oakmoss is irreplaceable. It is my favorite perfume.
As a resident, I sincerely thank and respect the mayor’s invaluable idea that is impossible to replace!!!
I want to be a resident who shares this sentiment.
Mayor Choi Ho-kwon expressed deep gratitude upon receiving such a highly praising KakaoTalk message.
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