Mapo-gu District Chief Yu Dong-gyun attended the "2026 Village Gardener Training and Operations Briefing" held Thursday afternoon at the main auditorium on the 12th floor of the Mapo-gu Office, offering words of encouragement to trainees taking their first steps as village gardeners.
The briefing opened with an overview of the training schedule and planned activities for the village gardener program. Lee Su-yeon, former director of the Seoul Metropolitan Government's Garden City Bureau, then presented on the value and role of gardens and shared case studies in garden city development. Trainees also gathered in neighborhood groups to share their activity plans going forward.
The village gardener training program is part of a resident-participation greening project the district is pursuing to address climate change and expand green space within residential areas.
Training runs for eight weeks, from Tuesday, Aug. 18 through Oct. 6. Upon completion, participants are expected to regularly tend parks and gardens in their home neighborhoods and take part in various greening initiatives — including tree-planting events — as part of the district's "Plant 5 Million Trees Again" campaign.
"Research shows that areas with more trees have lower suicide rates, which speaks to how urban trees and green spaces play a vital role in residents' emotional well-being and quality of life," Yu said. "We will carry on the '5 Million Trees' drive from the seventh elected term into the ninth as 'Plant 5 Million Trees Again,' expanding trees and green spaces throughout Mapo together with our residents."
He added that the district would create new visual attractions through a "street tree fashion project," starting with the first "shade tree No. 1" at Sinchon Rotary, and would pursue participatory tree planting in which residents can attach name tags to trees they purchase.
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