This is not a one-off event; we must prepare with the conviction that, using this expo as a springboard, we will properly develop the park into a tourist hotspot that visitors keep coming back to, a representative garden of Korea.
On the 16th at the Taean International Horticultural Therapy Expo venue set up in Kkotji Coastal Park on Anmyeon-do in Taean County, South Chungcheong Gov. Kim Tae-heum said during an on-site inspection, "Let's fill the venue with flowers so that residents and tourists visiting the site can fully savor spring."
At the site that day, with nine days left until the expo opening, final sprucing-up work was in full swing. Kim toured the venue for about an hour in the afternoon and closely checked the preparations.
Kim instructed event officials, "We need to create a sea of flowers so that every corner of the expo venue can serve as a photo zone," adding, "The province will provide active support, so make the landscaping dazzling and secure plenty of places to rest, such as benches."
Kim in particular called for ensuring that this expo does not end as a one-off event but that the Taean area is developed into a representative garden of Korea. He said, "When planting flowers in the venue, plant perennials so the garden continues to be maintained next year, the year after, and even five to 10 years from now," adding, "We must approach this with the mindset of properly shaping Kkotji Coastal Park into a tourist hotspot representing the West Coast."
He continued, "Identify provincially owned land around the venue and actively review whether we can expand garden space over the long term," adding, "We must also link with nearby recreation forests and arboreta to develop the Taean area into a horticultural therapy destination representing Korea."
He added, "Preparing for the event and managing the garden afterward will require budget, but this should be seen as an investment to attract tourists and revitalize the local economy."
According to South Chungcheong Province, the Taean International Horticultural Therapy Expo will be held at Kkotji Coastal Park for one month from the 25th to the 24th of next month.
With the theme "A healthy future found in nature," the expo will offer a variety of horticultural therapy programs. Horticultural play for children and "Kidzania GO" will also be operated. Kidzania GO is a job-experience program for children. Attendees can experience the Kidzania program, which operates year-round in Seoul and Busan, at the festival site.