Event set for May 20 at Yangjae Stream's Yeongdong 4th Bridge rice paddy learning field, with some 200 toddlers, schoolchildren and residents expected to take part
Gangnam-gu will host its "2026 Traditional Rice Planting Experience" on May 20 at the rice paddy learning field along Yangjae Stream.
Gangnam-gu will host its "2026 Traditional Rice Planting Experience" on May 20 from 10 a.m. to noon at the 1,410-square-meter rice paddy learning field on the riverside flats beneath Yeongdong 4th Bridge along Yangjae Stream.
The event is designed to introduce urban children — who rarely encounter paddies or soil — to Korea's traditional farming culture and give them a firsthand sense of the value of nature and food.
Around 200 participants are expected, including children enrolled in "Yangjae Stream Little Farmers School," an ecological learning program along the stream, as well as local elementary school students and residents. Together they will recreate a lush green paddy scene in the heart of the city.
This year's event places special emphasis on traditional, eco-friendly farming methods. Participants will wade into the paddy, stretch planting lines and press seedlings into the soil by hand. They will also release loach fish into the water — a traditional technique for controlling pests and reducing weeds. Through the process of treading mud and planting rice, children will naturally come to appreciate the time, care and labor that go into putting a single grain of rice on the table.
A samulnori performance will also take place at the venue, evoking the traditional farming culture in which music lifted the spirits of weary planters and called for a bountiful harvest.
The rice planted that day will be tended through the summer and harvested in autumn. Gangnam-gu plans to hold a companion "Traditional Autumn Harvest Experience" at that time, so children and residents can share in the joy of the season's yield. All harvested rice will be donated to social welfare organizations within the district.
Registration opens May 6 on a first-come, first-served basis through the Seoul Metropolitan Government's public service reservation website.
"Having children step into the soil and plant seedlings with their own hands, right in the middle of the city, is living education — a way to learn the value of nature and the food we eat," Gangnam-gu District Mayor Jo Seong-myeong said. "We will continue to run experience programs along Yangjae Stream that weave together ecology, tradition and community, so that children can grow ever closer to nature."
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