Suncheonman Int’l Garden Expo to offer diverse events, shows during Chuseok holiday

The Suncheonman International Garden Expo in the southwestern city of Suncheon will offer a variety of events and shows during the Chuseok holiday, including an arm-wrestling competition for mothers and free concerts, organizers said Thursday.

The expo has been taking place in the city, 286 kilometers south of Seoul, since the end of March, showcasing diverse types of garden cultures and promoting the rich biodiversity of Suncheon’s ecosystems. Events are held at the Suncheon Bay National Garden and other venues throughout the city.

Starting Thursday, a variety of competitions will be held at 2 p.m. each day through next Tuesday at the Lake Garden performance stage inside the Suncheon Bay National Garden. The competitions will range from an on-the-spot singing contest for visitors to an arm-wrestling contest for mothers, a Pokemon “ttakji” paper tile battle and a shoe-throwing game.

Prizes will be awarded to winners and other participants.

At Ocheon Green Square, a free concert will be held on each day of the six-day holiday.

Friday’s concert at 7 p.m. will feature ballad singer Kim Yeon-woo, while Saturday’s show at 7 p.m. will be a folk concert featuring a number of singers, including duo Haebaragi.

Aside from the scheduled events, there will also be magic shows, juggling and fire shows throughout the holiday period at various sites of the National Garden.

The human-made garden, measuring about 1 million square meters, opened in 2013 and was designated as the country’s first national garden in 2015. It was created as a buffer to protect Suncheon Bay from the impact of urban development.

The coastal wetland in the bay was registered in 2006 with the Ramsar Convention, an intergovernmental treaty to protect marshes.

Suncheon’s terrestrial and wetland ecosystems were designated as a UNESCO biosphere reserve in 2018.

The expo is set to run until Oct. 31.