Jinju City has concluded the 2025 Korea Garden Industry Expo with over 410,000 visitors and is accelerating efforts to position itself as a national hub for garden culture, with the Wolasan National Garden at the center of this transformation.
The ten-day event, held from June 13 to 22 in the forests of Chojeon Park and Wolasan Mountain, served as both a milestone and a springboard. It marked the culmination of Jinju’s recent efforts to build a city identity through garden-based urban development and provided a tangible economic boost to the region.
From Local Garden Vision to National Expo Host
Jinju’s ambition to transform Wolasan into a national garden has been progressing through staged events, including the Wolasan Garden Expos in 2023 and 2024. These earlier events laid the groundwork for developing a forest-integrated garden model and earned Jinju the distinction of being the first city in Gyeongnam Province to host a national garden expo sanctioned by the Korea Forest Service.
A Multi-Sector Expo with Measurable Economic Impact
The 2025 expo brought together landscape professionals, families, academics, and civic organizations. Economic analysis conducted by Gyeongsang National University’s Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation estimated an economic ripple effect of 24.85 billion KRW and the creation of more than 300 jobs. Exhibitors sold garden-related products totaling approximately 2.2 billion KRW in revenue, highlighting the sector’s commercial potential.
Citizen Participation and Cultural Integration
Jinju placed strong emphasis on civic involvement. Local volunteers and trained “citizen gardeners” helped run garden interpretation sessions and community garden programs. Public contributions also included performances, tea services, and shared cold beverages. In addition, donated parasols and irrigation support from the Jinju Forestry Cooperative helped manage heat and maintain plant displays during the event.
The expo’s centerpiece exhibitions—ranging from artist-created gardens to community-built installations—reinforced the event’s core message: gardens are not just aesthetic spaces, but integral to everyday life. The “Night Garden,” featuring themed lighting displays like the Silk Lamp Tunnel and illuminated bamboo paths, proved especially popular and added a new experiential dimension to garden exhibitions.
Expanding International Links and Institutional Foundations
Jinju City signed multiple agreements to extend its influence in the garden industry. A partnership with North American seed company Spring Meadow bolstered international cooperation, while agreements with domestic institutions such as Chonnam National University and the Korea Forest Academy Foundation strengthened the local plant branding and educational pipeline. A new hydrangea variety named after Jinju marked another symbolic step in that direction.
Long-Term Planning Toward Garden Culture City Status
Looking ahead, Jinju plans to register Wolasan Local Garden by 2026, followed by an international garden art expo in 2027. That event will blend landscape art with historical themes at the Jinju Railway Culture Park. These milestones are part of a broader roadmap to position Jinju as a sustainable, nationally recognized garden culture city.
Through its recent expo and continuing initiatives, Jinju City is laying the groundwork not only for environmental and aesthetic urban improvements, but also for a diversified economic and cultural identity rooted in gardens.
