Jeonnam-Gwangju secures most spots in Korea's Beautiful Private Gardens 30

Jeonnam-Gwangju has secured the highest number of selections in the ‘2026 Korea Beautiful Private Gardens 30’ list, with 15 of the 30 national spots awarded to gardens in the region. The selection, conducted by the Korea Forest Service and the Korea Arboreta and Gardens Institute, evaluated 184 private gardens nationwide through document reviews, expert assessments, and online voting involving approximately 20,000 citizens.

The selected gardens are categorized into five types: those capturing elegance and mood (such as Gurye Ssangsanjae and Banya-won), those offering rural romance (such as Hampyeong Montvert), those featuring art and culture (such as Suncheon Painter's Garden Walk), those providing rest and recovery (such as Goheung Ssukseum Ssukseum), and those with special themes (such as Damyang Jukhwagyeong).

Local authorities plan to continue supporting private garden improvement projects and festivals to develop these sites into tourism resources to combat regional extinction and provide healing spaces for citizens.