Resident-Built Maru Small Park and Geumseongdang Village Garden Win Praise... Special Exhibition at Seoul International Garden Expo in Seoul Forest Through Sept. 19

Award ceremony
Award ceremony

Eunpyeong-gu in Seoul won the grand prize for its Maru Small Park village garden at the 14th Seoul Garden City Awards ceremony held Monday. This marks the third consecutive year the district has received the honor.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government presents the Seoul Garden City Awards to recognize outstanding greening projects. The awards aim to encourage a culture of everyday gardening among citizens who grow flowers and trees in their daily lives. Winners are chosen through document review and on-site evaluation.

Eunpyeong-gu's Maru Small Park village garden earned high marks for being a resident-driven project. Local village gardeners identified an underused space in the area and led everything from planning to construction and upkeep.

The gardeners designed the space to reflect the character of the neighborhood and the needs of its users. In addition to Maru Small Park, they also built a garden at the entrance to Geumseongdang, a shrine built to comfort the spirit of Prince Geumseong of the Joseon era. The garden weaves the area's history and sense of place into the project.

Eunpyeong-gu's village gardeners said they plan to keep working with residents to build and maintain gardens, aiming to improve quality of life in the community.

Meanwhile, the award-winning garden will be featured in a special exhibition tied to the Seoul International Garden Expo at the expo grounds in Seoul Forest through Sept. 19.

"This award is especially meaningful because it recognizes the garden that residents and village gardeners built together through their own sweat and effort," said Eunpyeong-gu District Mayor Kim Mi-kyung. "We will continue expanding gardens that reflect our community's character in everyday life, and build a 'garden city Eunpyeong' where any resident can cultivate and connect with others."


seouldream01@heraldcorp.com