Yongin's Gogi Neighborhood Park Filled with Facilities and Trees Bearing Citizens' Stories

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Park No-hun] Gogi Neighborhood Park in Dongcheon-dong, Suji-gu, Yongin has been filled with facilities and trees bearing citizens' stories, such as birth dates and wedding anniversaries.

The city held an opening ceremony for Gogi Park on the 13th titled "Donate to Gogi Park, Participate, and Nurture," it was announced on the 14th.

The event was attended by Mayor Baek Kun-ki of Yongin and 99 participants, including those who donated facilities and trees.

"Donate to Gogi Park, Participate, and Nurture" is a project that accepts donations of facilities and trees needed for park development and provides name plaques to donors to be attached to the facilities.

The initiative was carried out to boost civic ownership and attachment to the region by enabling citizens to directly participate in park creation.

Following recruitment of participants from the 5th of last month through the 1st of this month, individuals (75 people), organizations (18 groups), and financial institutions (8 entities) participated in donations, contributing 24 facilities including swing benches and 38 trees including zelkova and Korean evodia.

Each facility was inscribed with various stories, ranging from wishes for family members' and grandchildren's health to pledges for their dreams.

Mayor Baek Kun-ki stated, "Gogi Neighborhood Park is even more special because it was preserved through the combined efforts of the city and citizens, having faced the risk of disappearing due to the urban park sunset clause. Going forward, I will do my best to create many more parks so that all citizens can enjoy green spaces."

Meanwhile, Mayor Baek affixed name plates to donated facilities such as swing benches with citizens and planted trees and liriope with donors.