Ulsan City Secures Hosting of 2028 Ulsan International Garden Expo

International Association of Horticultural Producers Gives Final Approval for Ulsan

Approval Process Completed After Government Approval on July 24

April to October 2028, Around Taehwagang National Garden

Ulsan City has successfully secured the bid to host the '2028 Ulsan International Garden Expo'.

On the 5th, Ulsan City announced that at the 76th General Assembly of the International Association of Horticultural Producers (AIPH) held in Warsaw, Poland, the final approval was granted for Ulsan to host the '2028 Ulsan International Garden Expo'.

On this day, Ulsan Mayor Kim Dukyum personally led the delegation and attended the AIPH General Assembly in Poland, where he focused on explaining the differentiated strategies of the 2028 Ulsan International Garden Expo and Ulsan City's capabilities in hosting international events.

In addition, in line with its reputation as an industrial capital, Ulsan's leading companies such as SK, Hyundai Motor, and Hyundai Heavy Industries sent support videos wishing for the successful bid, conveying messages of hope from citizens.

Furthermore, employees from Hyundai Rotem, Hyundai Motor, and Kia Motors working locally in Warsaw, along with Ahn Honggyun, the Korean representative of AIPH, joined forces to support the bidding effort.

With this, Ulsan City has achieved final approval after a year of efforts, including two on-site inspections by the AIPH delegation, a proposal at the Qatar General Assembly, and the final bidding at the Poland General Assembly.

The '2028 Ulsan International Garden Expo' will be held for six months from April to October 2028, centered around Taehwagang National Garden, as well as Samsan-Yeocheon Landfill and Namsan-ro.

Various gardens such as international gardens, corporate gardens, and designer gardens will be created, and a variety of hands-on events in which citizens can directly participate are also planned.

Mayor Kim Dukyum stated, "Securing the 2028 Ulsan International Garden Expo has provided an opportunity for Ulsan to become a bigger city on the world stage. Our differentiated strategy of transforming an industrial waste landfill into a beautiful garden and creating an expo with corporate participation, befitting our status as an industrial capital, proved effective. From now on, we will do our best to prepare thoroughly and ensure a successful expo."

Leonardo Capitani, President of AIPH, said, "The Ulsan International Garden Expo was highly regarded for transforming a landfill into an expo site, making it a global model in line with AIPH's goals of carbon neutrality and climate change response. We hope that Ulsan City will present detailed implementation plans at the General Assembly in Thailand next March."

An official from the Korea Forest Service, the main government agency for the International Garden Expo, said, "The Suncheonman International Garden Expo, Korea's first national garden, has been held every ten years (2013, 2023). If the Ulsan International Garden Expo is held in 2028, the two national gardens will alternate hosting every five years, which will elevate the status of K-Garden internationally and provide an opportunity for the garden culture and industry to take a leap forward."

Ulsan City will hold a welcoming ceremony for the expo bidding team at City Hall on the 9th, and on September 11th, a celebratory performance at the Culture and Arts Center to share the excitement of securing the 2028 Ulsan International Garden Expo with citizens.