Choi Minho Promotes 'Garden City Sejong' Vision at German Federal Garden Exhibition Site

Visit to Killesberg Park
Sharing Experiences in Green Space Utilization and Garden Exhibitions

Sejong Mayor Minho Choi is greeting Karola Ortmann, Director of Urban Greenery, Cemeteries, and Forestry Office at Stuttgart City Hall, ahead of an inspection of Kielesberg Park in Germany. Photo by Public Relations Office

Choi Minho, the mayor of Sejong City, who is currently on an overseas official training trip, visited the site of the German Federal Garden Exhibition (BUGA), one of the world's top three international garden events. There, he shared and promoted Sejong’s vision of becoming a garden city where the entire urban area is designed as a single garden. He also visited Killesberg Park in Stuttgart to examine the city’s green space policies and exemplary cases of citizen-participatory garden administration.

Killesberg Park, established in 1939, covers approximately 50 hectares and serves as a family-friendly urban space combining gardens, play areas, and cultural events. The park has played a significant role in Germany’s garden history, hosting the German Federal Garden Exhibition (BUGA) three times?in 1961, 1977, and 1993.

In particular, the park is renowned for its various themed gardens, fountains, ponds, and more than 10,000 dahlia flowers that bloom between August and September. Every July, the park hosts a Festival of Lights, where families can enjoy fireworks and light shows accompanied by music on summer nights.

After touring Killesberg Park, Mayor Choi held a meeting with Carola Ortmann, Director of Urban Green Spaces, Cemeteries, and Forests at Stuttgart City Hall. During the meeting, he listened to advanced cases such as Stuttgart’s utilization of urban green spaces and the creation of multifunctional parks to revitalize local communities.

He also shared the current status and vision of Sejong City, which is developing a garden city based on a green space ratio of 52% of the entire urban area, 221 parks, and a city garden axis connecting the National Arboretum and Lake Park.

Mayor Choi stated, "In the era of artificial intelligence (AI), people will need natural environments, green spaces, and gardens even more, and their importance will only grow." He added, "Let us work together to realize the vision of both cities for a people-centered green city where nature leads the city and gardens embrace the citizens."