Book about transition into garden city available in five languages
Stories of Seoul’s urban gardens are set to be promoted in a multilanguage comic book titled “The Story of Garden City Seoul,” the city said Wednesday.
According to the Seoul Metropolitan Government, Korean cartoonist and scholar Rhie Won-bok — who made a name for himself with his graphic narrative “Far Countries, Near Countries” — has teamed up with the city government to introduce Seoul’s green spaces.
The four-chapter comic book presents stories about one of the city’s major initiatives to transform itself into a “garden city,” where nature and urban life coexist, allowing people to enjoy gardens of different sizes.
While the comic book explains why Seoul's leafy transition is a solution to urban environmental challenges in the introduction, it highlights how increasing the number of accessible gardens can enhance the quality of life by providing spaces for healing and leisure.
The comic book also recommends some of Seoul’s unique gardens and presents detailed information, including their locations and preview images.
The book is available for download at the city government’s official website (https://parks.seoul.go.kr/story/ebook/list.do) in Korean, English, Japanese, Chinese and Spanish. It can be viewed in ebook format.
“When introducing ideas like the garden city, where people and nature live in harmony, a cartoon can resonate far greater than a formal document,” Rhie was quoted by the city government as saying.
sj_lee@heraldcorp.com
