SEOUL, September 15 (AJP) - Ulsan, South Korea’s leading industrial city, will host the 2028 Spring Meeting of the International Association of Horticultural Producers (AIPH), bringing global horticulture leaders to the city as it prepares for a major international garden expo.
The southeastern city said Tuesday that the decision was finalized during the AIPH Annual Congress being held in Bari, Italy. Ulsan plans to hold the spring meeting in April 2028 in conjunction with the opening of the 2028 Ulsan International Garden Expo.
The garden expo is scheduled to run from April 22 to Oct. 22, 2028, with venues including the Taehwagang National Garden and former landfill areas in Samsan and Yeocheon. The AIPH has officially listed the event on its calendar of approved international horticultural exhibitions.
Organizers said the spring meeting will provide an opportunity to showcase Ulsan’s efforts to transform itself from a heavily industrialized city into a greener and more sustainable urban center. The city’s expo delegation also presented its preparations and venue development plans at an AIPH conference in Bari this week.
Ulsan, a coastal city in southeastern South Korea with a population of about 1.12 million, has long been regarded as the country’s industrial capital. It is home to major automobile, shipbuilding, refining and petrochemical operations, including facilities operated by Hyundai Motor, HD Hyundai Heavy Industries, SK and S-Oil. In recent years, the city has sought to broaden that identity through environmental restoration projects, including the rehabilitation of the Taehwa River and the development of the Taehwagang National Garden.
The 2028 expo is expected to become a centerpiece of that transition. Plans include converting former urban landfill sites into public gardens, a project the city says will demonstrate how industrial land can be repurposed as green urban space.
AJP Takeaways
- Ulsan will host the 2028 AIPH Spring Meeting alongside the Ulsan International Garden Expo.
- The southeastern city is South Korea’s industrial hub, home to major automobile, shipbuilding, refining and petrochemical operations.
- Ulsan is using the 2028 expo to highlight its transformation from an industrial center into a greener, more sustainable city.
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