Jeonju City Accelerates Preparations for Jeonju Garden Industry Expo

July 9-13 at Jeonju World Cup Plaza and Surrounding Areas

Jeonju City in North Jeolla Province is accelerating its preparations for the Jeonju Garden Industry Expo, which will be held from July 9 to 13 at the Jeonju World Cup Plaza and surrounding areas.

The city announced on the 15th that the 5th Jeonju Garden Industry Expo, now about four weeks away, will be held under the theme "Our Garden, Our City, Our Tomorrow," featuring the Garden Industry Exhibition, Garden Displays, and Garden Culture Programs.

Jeonju City is accelerating preparations for the Jeonju Garden Industry Expo, which will be held from the 9th to the 13th of next month at the Jeonju World Cup Plaza area. Photo by Jeonju City

The Garden Industry Exhibition will bring together companies from all over the country specializing in plants, materials, tools, equipment, and art accessories. In addition, five teams of professional and citizen artists will create and display beautiful and creative gardens throughout the expo venue.

This year's expo will also offer garden culture programs linked with education, such as "I Am a Little Gardener," "Gardener Life Cut," "How to Use Garden Tools," "How to Make Natural Compost," and "Creating Gardens that Attract Bees and Butterflies," all designed to provide practical help for daily gardening life.

Notably, this year's expo will feature "Happy Gardening" with Sage Kim, the first Korean gardener at the New York Botanical Garden; a beautiful garden photo exhibition and a photo contest for expo photographers in collaboration with the Jeonju branch of the Korea Photographers Association; and a demonstration of traditional tool-making by the artisan of Jeonju Future Heritage No. 37, Gwangmyeong Blacksmith Shop.

Specifically, gardener Sage Kim will explain garden planting design, conduct a live demonstration of garden creation, and provide garden design consulting.

The Jeonju branch of the Korea Photographers Association will exhibit photos of beautiful private gardens in the Jeonju area, while photographers from across the country will capture various scenes of the expo. There will also be an event where photographers take and print photos for visitors on-site.

Gwangmyeong Blacksmith Shop, which has been operated for generations, continues to make farming tools such as shovels?now rare in modern cities?and will demonstrate how to make a traditional hoe at the expo site.

Additionally, the expo will feature the "Our Home Garden Story Talk Show," where people passionate about gardening share their real-life experiences. Various programs will also be available throughout the venue, including a stamp tour, garden material auction, "My Own Mini Bouquet," and a herbal tea tasting event, allowing visitors to experience diverse aspects of garden culture.

This year, for the first time, B2C (business-to-consumer) and B2G (business-to-government) marketplaces will be introduced. To overcome the issue of plant material distribution being concentrated in Gyeonggi Province and to maximize sales for small-scale farms participating in the industry exhibition, an on-site tour for local government officials will be held. The city and expo organizers will guide officials through participating companies, explaining their products, and will set up a counseling booth in a container within the multi-cultural space for support.

At this expo, with support from the Korea Arboretum and Garden Institute, visitors will be able to see excellent garden plants selected for the "2025 Korea Garden Plant Exhibition and Evaluation." The expo will also feature interactive displays of native plants suitable for gardens and newly developed varieties from Korea, offering information on new garden plants that are not easily found in the market.

Expecting early heat waves again this year, the city has arranged the booths in a straight line for visitor convenience and installed large pavilions. Rest areas such as Flower Sleep Camp Picnic, Forest Healing Zone, Horticultural Therapy Zone, and truss shade shelters will also be provided throughout the venue for visitors' comfort.

Lee Youngseop, Director of the City’s Resource Circulation and Greenery Bureau, said, "We expect this expo to mark the first year of Jeonju becoming a platform for the Korean garden industry. We hope this event, where producers who have carefully prepared unique and beautiful plant materials and garden accessories and consumers who have struggled with choosing and purchasing garden items can come together and enjoy, will become a festival for all citizens of Jeonju."

Meanwhile, some experience programs will operate on a pre-registration basis for 50% of all participants, and applications can be made on the expo website from mid-month.