Discover Serenity in the Heart of NYC: New York’s First Traditional Korean Garden Blooms at the Korean Cultural Center

The first authentic Korean garden was created in New York.

The Korean Cultural Center of New York held a ceremony to announce the completion of ‘Aeyangdan’, New York’s first traditional Korean garden, on the 25th (local time).

Aeyangdan Garden, located on the second floor of the Cultural Center, is the work of Hwang Ji-hae, a world-renowned garden designer who won the Chelsea Flower Show Gold Award three times, and was created with support from Jeollanam-do.

At the completion ceremony on this day, about 100 people, including South Jeolla Province Governor Kim Young-rok, Kim Cheon-soo, director of the Korean Cultural Center in New York, artist Hwang Ji-hae, and Annie Paosawadi, head of the New York branch of the American Society of Landscape Architects, attended and celebrated the completion of the ‘Aeyangdan’ garden.

The beginning of the ‘Aeyangdan’ garden creation project dates back to a conversation between Governor Kim Young-rok and Cultural Center Director Kim Cheon-soo during a business trip to the United States last January to export Jeonnam agricultural and fisheries products and promote southern food such as kimchi.

At that time, Director Kim proposed, “We ask that you successfully host the 2023 Suncheon Bay International Garden Expo and create a garden in Jeollanam-do, which is renowned as the home of gardens, at the newly relocated Korean Cultural Center in New York.” Governor Kim readily accepted this, and the Cultural Center The project to create a traditional Korean garden on the second floor terrace space has begun in earnest.

Artist Hwang, who was in charge of the garden creation project, worked hard to create a space containing the elegance of a traditional Korean garden and the natural atmosphere of Jeollanam-do at the Korean Cultural Center in New York, which plays a pivotal role in promoting Korean culture to the United States in the heart of Manhattan, New York. .

Artist Hwang expressed the spirit of Korean traditional gardens through the theme of Aeyangdan, a traditional fence located in Soswaewon, Damyang-gun, Jeollanam-do, the best traditional garden in Korea. The ‘Aeyangdan’ garden has more than 500 plants of more than 100 species, mainly native to Korea, such as Saengyeolgwi tree, Arachnid tree, Baekhwalantern, and Manbyeongcho, and salt docks and wells are placed throughout the garden to serve as a place for the common people of Korea. Culture is expressed in a simple and simple way.

Director Kim said, “I am grateful to Jeollanam-do for creating a traditional garden representing Korea in New York, the center of the world,” and added, “I will do my best to promote this space so that it becomes a venue to promote Korea’s high-quality garden culture to the world.”

Governor Kim said, “Following Korea and New York, we expect that this will be an opportunity to promote Jeollanam-do gardens to people around the world and promote cultural understanding and exchange,” adding, “I hope that it will be loved by many people and become a valuable space to experience Jeollanam-do’s garden culture.” “I hope so,” he said.