Seongdong-gu launches walk-and-listen garden programs along Jungnangcheon this October

Seongdong-gu in Seoul is running two autumn garden programs along Jungnangcheon stream this month — a guided garden tour and a sound art camp — giving residents a fresh way to experience the waterway's gardens as the season deepens.

Both programs are hands-on. Participants walk through the gardens, hear stories about plants and local ecology, and collect sounds from nature to transform into works of art. The programs are designed to bring residents closer to the distinctive gardens scattered along Jungnangcheon and to help them appreciate the value of green spaces in everyday life.

The Jungnangcheon Garden Tour kicked off Oct. 8 and continues Thursday and Oct. 22, running from 10 a.m. to noon with 15 participants per showing. Starting from the clock tower at the Eungbong entrance to Jungnangcheon, the route takes walkers through a series of the stream's signature gardens — Seongdong's seasonal garden, the Children's Dream Garden, a riverside deck promenade, a picnic garden and the Flower Route.

Certified forest interpreters and other specialists accompany each tour, sharing stories about the plants in bloom, how the gardens change with the seasons, and the natural ecology of Jungnangcheon. Participants can rediscover the charm of plants and garden spaces they may have passed without a second glance, all while strolling through the stream corridor bathed in autumn color.

The Jungnangcheon Sound Camp follows on Oct. 20 and 21. The two-day program takes 10 participants and guides them through collecting sounds from the garden environment and using those recordings to create works of sound art.

On the first day, participants head to the area around the Eungbong entrance, where they use portable recorders to capture sounds from nature — rustling leaves, birdsong, flowing water and more. On the second day, they gather at the Seongdong Gardening Center to use their recordings in a "sound frame" art-making session.

Both days run from 10 a.m. to noon. Because the two sessions form a single creative process culminating in one finished piece, the program is open only to residents who can attend on both days.

Registration is available online through the Seoul Metropolitan Government's public service reservation system and through the quick-booking function on the Seongdong-gu district office website.

Through these programs, Seongdong-gu aims to develop Jungnangcheon into more than a space for walking and exercise — positioning it as an everyday garden-culture destination where residents can experience nature, horticulture and the arts together.

"Beautiful gardens that reveal a new landscape with every season are tucked all along Jungnangcheon," District Mayor Yoo Bo-hwa said. "I hope these programs give residents a special autumn — one spent walking among gardens, listening to the stories of plants and pausing to notice even the smallest sounds of nature."