Fifteen of the 30 gardens selected as beautiful private gardens in South Korea are located in Gwangju.
The Gwangju Metropolitan City announced that 15 local private gardens were included in the '2026 Beautiful Private Gardens of Korea' list, selected by the Korea Forest Service and the Korea National Arboretum, making it the region with the most gardens recognized nationwide.
A total of 184 private gardens participated in this selection process. Out of 34 registered private gardens in Gwangju, 22 submitted applications. The final selection of 15 gardens was determined through a combination of document reviews, evaluations by external experts, and online voting involving over 20,000 citizens.
In the biennial selection of beautiful private gardens, Gwangju has increased its representation from 10 gardens in 2024 to 15 this year.
The selected gardens were categorized into five types based on their unique characteristics.
The 'Gardens of Elegance and Atmosphere' category includes Gure's Banyawon and Ssangsanjae, Boseong's Galmel Garden, and Hwasun's Solmaeum Garden. The 'Gardens for Enjoying Rural Romance' features Yeosu's Dreaming Garden and Hampyeong's Hampyeong Cheonji Monver.
The 'Gardens of Art and Culture' include Suncheon’s Painter's Garden Walk, Goheung's Hadamjeong, and Haenam's Sanijeong.
The 'Gardens Offering Rest and Healing in Nature' category includes Goheung's Healing Park Suksom Suksom, Boseong's Seongrim Garden and Dreaming Forest Seonyuwon, and Jangheung's Sky Blue Arboretum.
Damyang's Jukhwagyeong and Hwasun's Mudeungsan Bau Garden were recognized for their unique themes in the 'Gardens with Special Themes' category.
The selected gardens will receive a plaque recognizing them as 'Beautiful Private Gardens of Korea' from the Korea Forest Service and the Korea National Arboretum, along with promotional support through related websites.
The Gwangju Metropolitan City has been supporting the development of private gardens as not just spaces for relaxation but also as regional tourism resources through garden enhancement projects and festivals. Through the 'Beautiful Garden Contest,' 68 outstanding gardens have been identified, with 15 of them registered as private gardens.
Moon Mi-ran, head of the Forest Recreation Division of Gwangju Metropolitan City, stated, “It is meaningful that gardens registered and operated in cooperation with the public and private sectors are recognized nationwide. We will support private gardens to become spaces for rest and healing for citizens and to serve as tourism resources that respond to regional decline.”
Meanwhile, Gwangju Metropolitan City plans to continue accepting applications for private garden enhancement projects and festival participation in 2027 to ensure the ongoing management and tourism development of the selected private gardens.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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