Jongno-gu is scaling up its "Jongno Gardener Village" project — launched last year to restore the urban ecosystem and spread garden culture — to a 2.0 phase, coinciding with the start of the ninth directly elected district administration under District Mayor Yoo Chan-jong.
The Jongno Gardener Village is a public gardening model that links resident participation with corporate social responsibility activities.
In June 2025, the district signed an MOU with the Korea Forest for Life Association and Kakao Makers at Cheongjin Park, establishing a public-private framework for tending urban public gardens and meeting residents' growing demand for green leisure.
The governance structure draws in private funding and professional expertise to reduce the budget burden, laying a virtuous-cycle foundation toward the three goals of urban dignity, fiscal efficiency and healing green welfare.
With the launch of the ninth administration, the district is shifting the Gardener Village into full implementation mode.
First, the activity range of the gardener crews — previously confined to four zones covering Bukchon, Seochon, Sajik-dong and the Cheongjin-Insadong area — will expand to cover the entire district. The plan moves beyond hub-centered gardening, supporting residents in transforming every corner of every alleyway into a community-scale public garden.
A "2026 Second-Half Jongno Gardener Training Course" will run from September through November to underpin that expansion. Applications are open from July 29 through Aug. 21, and any resident interested in public gardening may apply. Further details on the curriculum are available on the Korea Forest for Life Association's website.
In addition, the district plans to install high-quality audio equipment at Cheongjin Park — which has emerged as a popular lunchtime destination for office workers in the Jonggak and Gwanghwamun area — through a Garden Picnic Week event, turning the park into a music-filled gardener village and offering a variety of garden leisure programs.
Through introductory courses led by garden artists and hands-on gardening activities, the district has produced a total of 50 certified Jongno gardeners — 25 in the first cohort in the second half of last year and 25 more in the second cohort in the first half of this year — broadening the base of citizen-led greening. These graduates are set to participate in the borough gardeners' garden installation at the 2026 Seoul International Garden Expo, sharpening their practical skills.
"If the past year was a time for sowing seeds to invigorate Jongno's garden culture, the second half of this year will be a leap forward to fill the entire district with greenery," District Mayor Yoo said. "We will spare no effort in our full support to complete Jongno-gu as one garden and a sustainable, eco-friendly city."
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