What does a nation where citizens are happy look like? It is a country where everyone can encounter flowers and trees close to home, where children run and play in nature and learn the value of life, and where the elderly spend leisurely time in green gardens. Sharing the changing seasons with neighbors and finding comfort and rest in nature—this is the very landscape of a happy nation.
Public interest in gardens has risen sharply in recent years. More people are raising companion plants, strolling through nearby gardens on weekends, or tending flowers and trees. Gardens have now established themselves as spaces to cultivate firsthand and share affection, and as essential green infrastructure for those of us living in an age of climate crisis.
Our ancestors long communed with nature through gardens, elevating the quality of life. From the palace gardens of the Three Kingdoms period to the Joseon-era detached villa gardens represented by Soswaewon in Damyang, Korean gardens have carried on a tradition that resembles nature. Building on this foundation, 661 gardens have now been created across the country. Today's gardens have become far more diverse, ranging from national gardens, regional gardens, and private gardens to everyday gardens carefully cultivated in spare corners of space.
The international community is also taking note of the value of gardens. "Nature-based solutions" are being emphasized as an alternative for solving complex problems such as the climate crisis, biodiversity decline, public health, and regional economic stagnation. And one of the most effective means of implementing this in cities and living areas is the garden. Gardens absorb carbon, lower urban heat, and increase biodiversity, while at the same time playing an important role in improving citizens' quality of life.
Gardens are also a force that revitalizes regions. The 2023 Suncheon Bay International Garden Expo demonstrated the potential of gardens, drawing 9.81 million visitors and generating more than 2 trillion won in production-inducing effects. Private gardens that hold the nature and stories of their regions grew sharply from 44 in 2020 to 184 in 2026, establishing themselves as new tourism resources and cultural spaces.
In response, the Korea Forest Service has established the "Third Basic Plan for Garden Promotion (2026–2030)," with the vision of "a garden nation we cultivate together and everyone enjoys." First, it plans to evenly expand national gardens across the "5-pole, 3-special" regional framework and increase regional gardens and everyday gardens, expanding the nation's gardens to 2.4 times the current number within five years. If this goal is achieved, any citizen will be able to find a garden within 8 kilometers, and more than 60 million people will be able to enjoy gardens over five years.
In addition, the agency plans to scientifically prove the healing effects of gardens and develop them into social prescriptions linked to the medical and welfare sectors, while developing and distributing new climate-adaptive garden models such as carbon-neutral gardens and rain gardens. It also plans to create 40 garden cities and breed new varieties of garden plants, injecting vitality into the industrial ecosystem and leading to new jobs and income.
Spreading garden culture and globalizing Korean gardens are also important tasks. The agency aims to support every citizen in receiving garden education suited to their life stage, and to successfully host the 2028 Ulsan Taehwagang International Garden Expo to share the beauty and value of Korean gardens with the world. If the day comes when Korean gardens are created around the world and K-gardens are loved, it will be another proud achievement, with Korea's nature and culture seeping into the lives of people worldwide.
Gardens are not made overnight. Only after planting a single small seed, watering it, and devoting care does it finally bloom into beautiful flowers. The same is true of a garden nation where citizens are happy. Only when the central and local governments, businesses, and all citizens participate and cultivate together can it take deep root in our society. Now is the time for all of us to build "a garden nation we cultivate together where everyone is happy," so that any citizen can enjoy daily life in a garden and let garden culture bloom.
