DAEJEON — The Taehwa River Grass Garden in Ulsan has won the grand prize in a national competition for outstanding community gardens.
The Korea Forest Service said on the 12th that it had selected five gardens as outstanding community gardens from among 362 such gardens created and operated by local governments nationwide.
In the outdoor garden category, the Taehwa River Grass Garden in Ulsan's Nam-gu District took the grand prize, the Julpo Jueullae Garden in Buan County, Jeonbuk State, received the top excellence award, and the outdoor garden at Kkumirang Library in Tongyeong, South Gyeongsang Province, won an excellence award. In the outdoor garden management and utilization category, the Gaon Masil Trail in Ulsan's Jung-gu District was named top excellence winner, while Gimhae International Airport won an excellence award in the indoor garden category.
A total of 29 gardens applied this year. The winners were chosen by combining document reviews with on-site evaluations by outside experts, with a focus on identifying model gardens that excel in resident participation, sustained maintenance and public use.
"Community gardens are spaces where the public can easily enjoy gardens in their daily lives," said Lee Kwang-ho, director general of the Forest Protection Bureau at the Korea Forest Service. "These outstanding cases will serve as models for gardens that residents cultivate together and that also contribute to carbon neutrality."