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🇰🇷 South Korea /Culture & Society

Seoul Forest Garden Show: Where Are the Bees and Butterflies?

From Hankyoreh · () Korean

Translated from Korean, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

In-depth Named sources Context piece
  • The Seoul International Garden Show in Seoul Forest featured elaborate floral displays but lacked visible biodiversity, with few bees or butterflies present.
  • Critics noted that the event prioritized exhibition effects over ecological sustainability, using modified flowers that could not support local wildlife.
  • The article questions whether such manicured green spaces, which remove fallen leaves and dead trees, can truly be called forests, highlighting a disconnect between the desire for nature and the tolerance for its wilder aspects.

Seoul Forest's International Garden Show, held just before its opening, presented a landscape of meticulously arranged flowers and captivated visitors with photo opportunities. However, the author, Jang Hyun-ju, observed a striking absence of ecological vitality. "Most of the flowers were hybrids for horticultural purposes," she noted, "prioritizing exhibition effects over the ecological foundations needed for self-sustenance."

Most of the flowers were hybrids for horticultural purposes, prioritizing exhibition effects over the ecological foundations needed for self-sustenance.

— Jang Hyun-juThe author's observation on the type of flowers used at the Seoul International Garden Show.

This focus on aesthetics meant that bees and butterflies were rarely seen, creating a sense of emptiness despite the abundance of blooms. The author expressed sadness over the treatment of the plants, describing them as "consumables for visual satisfaction." These living beings, unable to attract pollinators or contribute to the next generation, were destined for disposal after serving their exhibition purpose, a cycle that felt deeply unnatural.

These living beings, unable to attract pollinators or contribute to the next generation, were destined for disposal after serving their exhibition purpose, a cycle that felt deeply unnatural.

— Jang Hyun-juThe author's reflection on the fate of the plants used in the exhibition.

While acknowledging the value of providing urban dwellers with a green space and a connection to nature, the article probes the definition of a 'forest.' A forest, it argues, is more than just a collection of trees; it's an organic ecosystem where numerous lives interact, existing beyond human control and demanding patience to observe its complex processes, like the natural decay of fallen leaves.

A forest is more than just a collection of trees; it's an organic ecosystem where numerous lives interact, existing beyond human control and demanding patience to observe its complex processes, like the natural decay of fallen leaves.

— Jang Hyun-juThe author's definition of a forest, contrasting it with manicured urban green spaces.

Modern urban parks, the author contends, seem intolerant of nature's complexities. Fallen leaves are quickly cleared, dead trees removed for safety, and soil covered with artificial structures. "Bees are dangerous, so they shouldn't be here," she observed, reflecting a preference for managed 'pretty scenery' over living ecosystems. This, she suggests, reveals a dual attitude: a stated love for nature coupled with a desire to accept it only in forms controllable by humans. The wild is replaced by curated images, reducing nature to an object of appreciation and consumption rather than a coexisting entity.

Bees are dangerous, so they shouldn't be here, prioritizing managed 'pretty scenery' over living ecosystems.

— Jang Hyun-juThe author's critique of the park's management prioritizing aesthetics over ecological function.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Hankyoreh in Korean. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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