The Korea Forest Service (KFS) announced Wednesday that 25 idle land sites selected for the "2026 Garden Dream Project" will be transformed into distinctive gardens through the participation of young people aspiring to become garden designers.
The Garden Dream Project is a job competency enhancement initiative in which teams of five students majoring in garden-related fields receive mentoring from professional garden designers to create practice gardens on idle land within cities and districts. The project has been hosted annually by the Korea Forest Service and organized by the Korea National Arboretum and Garden Management Agency since 2020.
This year, 125 young adults and university students will participate in garden design, construction and management activities at 25 sites across Sejong, Cheongju, Dangjin, Geochang, Jeju, Yangpyeong and Ulsan over six months starting in April. The gardens will be created under the theme "K-Fairy Tale Gardens," incorporating Korean sensibility and storytelling into creative garden designs.
"We expect the Garden Dream Project to serve as a strong stepping stone for discovering creative garden designs while nurturing talent who will lead the future garden industry," said Choi Hyun-soo, director of the Arboretum and Garden Policy Division at the Korea Forest Service. "We will continue to promote the Garden Dream Project, which breathes life into idle land, and support policies to foster garden professionals."
