Mayor Minho Choi's Unwavering Commitment to the "Garden City Creation" Project in Sejong

Accelerating Public-Private Cooperation for Garden City Development
Appointment of Garden Culture Promotion Committee Members and Kickoff Briefing

From this year until 2029, a total budget of 29.6 billion KRW (14.8 billion KRW from the national government and 14.8 billion KRW from the city government) will be invested to create gardens throughout Sejong City. This project is seen as a "Plan B" after the attempt to host an International Garden City Expo?which Mayor Minho Choi had pushed for, even going on a hunger strike to secure Sejong's future economic drivers?fell through due to opposition from the local political community and the complete cancellation of its budget.

Minho Choi, Mayor of Sejong City, is speaking at the Garden Culture Promotion Committee Appointment Ceremony and Service Commencement Report Meeting. Photo by Environmental Greenery Bureau Garden City Division

On July 16, Sejong City announced that, in order to accelerate the creation of a garden city, it held an appointment ceremony for members of the Garden Culture Promotion Committee and a kickoff meeting for the establishment of the Garden City master plan and basic design on July 15.

In May, Mayor Choi personally presented appointment letters to 18 newly appointed civilian members of the Garden Culture Promotion Committee. The committee is a public-private partnership body composed of city council members, experts, stakeholders from garden-related organizations and institutions, and citizen gardeners. It is responsible for providing advice on the spread of garden culture and the creation of the garden city.

At the subsequent kickoff meeting, the contracted service provider outlined the overall plan for the Garden City Creation Project and reported on the direction and detailed implementation plan for the master plan and basic design services. The project will be carried out over 10 months, focusing on establishing the vision for a "Sejong-style" garden city, identifying key priority tasks, investigating and designing gardens for citizen participation and public spaces, and developing practical implementation strategies.

City officials explained that, since half of the project budget has been secured from national funds, the financial burden will be reduced and the project is expected to gain momentum.

In particular, the city plans to actively support community garden activities led by citizens to accelerate the creation of the garden city. It will also sequentially hold forums and workshops involving experts from various fields and citizens to realize the vision of a sustainable garden city.

Mayor Choi stated, "Gardens are the most essential spaces that elevate the dignity of a city and protect humanity in the age of artificial intelligence," and added, "I ask all committee members to do their utmost to help create Sejong as a garden city, based on a shared understanding of this philosophy."