Seongdong-gu Seongsu Bridge North End 'If It’s Hard, Take a Break' Created... Reborn as a Space for Healing and Remembrance

Adjacent to the Seongsu Bridge Collapse Memorial for Victims, providing healing and comfort to bereaved families, and conveying remembrance and tribute to residents... Transformed into a 5,600㎡ space with over 6,500 trees and 18,000 flowering plants, creating a garden that offers a sense of tranquility even in fleeting moments

Seongdong-gu, Seoul (Mayor Jeong Wono) has completed the creation of the "If You’re Tired, Take a Rest (Garden)" at the northern ramp of Seongsu Bridge on Gangbyeonbuk-ro, a major entrance road to the district.

Created under the theme "Momentary Forest, Garden of Memories," the "If You’re Tired, Take a Rest" garden symbolizes a place where the weary mind, exhausted from long hours of driving and traffic congestion, is healed by nature in a fleeting moment.

In particular, the garden is located near the memorial monument for the victims of the Seongsu Bridge collapse accident, which marks its 30th anniversary this year, offering healing and comfort to the bereaved families and adding meaning of remembrance and tribute for residents.

The garden, developed with national and city funding, spans a total area of 5,600㎡ and is planted with approximately 6,500 trees of 36 species and about 18,000 herbaceous plants of 46 species. Leaves and fruits such as those of the royal azalea, maejja, nandina, and malchae turn autumn colors, while pampas grass and morning light grasses flutter beautifully in the wind. To allow residents to feel the seasons even in the city, exotic autumn flowers like gold pyramid and Cheongha aster can also be found. Around the Seongsu Bridge memorial tower, plants that bloom white flowers such as gujeolcho are planted to evoke the meaning of remembrance.

Throughout the garden, letter sculptures such as "If You’re Stuck, Go Slowly" and "If You’re Tired, Take a Rest" have been installed to deliver healing messages to drivers feeling fatigued from traffic congestion. Sculptures like "Wherever You Go, Seoul Goes" and "Garden City Seoul" allow visitors to experience the relaxation that gardens provide even in fleeting moments passed by unconsciously.

The district plans to gradually expand spaces where residents can enjoy nature in the city, not merely maintaining roadside greenery but creating gardens close to daily life, leading the way in establishing a daily garden city.

Meanwhile, the district is making special efforts to keep the memorial space clean, including regular maintenance of trees around the Seongsu Bridge collapse victims’ memorial tower. It plans to continue striving to make this a healing space loved by many residents for a long time with ongoing community interest.

Jeong Wono, Mayor of Seongdong-gu, said, "The creation of ‘If You’re Tired, Take a Rest’ is located near the Seongsu Bridge collapse victims’ memorial tower, offering warm comfort not only to bereaved families but also to visitors paying tribute, and is expected to become a space of relaxation and rest for residents." He added, "We will continue efforts to keep the garden clean and beautiful together with Seongdong-gu’s village gardeners and do our best to realize a ‘5-minute daily garden city.’"