o GARES, all eyes to 2005 as the “Year of Visiting Gyeonggi” with preparations including trial visits to farm villages and farming communities. 

o Rearranging of Exhibition Hall of Agriculture and Science Education Center, Botany Research Center for Genetic Resources, High-tech Science Research Unit, and others 

Gyeonggi-do Agricultural Research & Extension Services (GARES) (Director General: Chen Se-Chang) has worked on maintenance and landscaping at the Exhibition Hall of Agriculture and Science Education Center, Botany Research Center for Genetic Resources, High-tech Science Research Unit, and others in preparation for a warm response to GARES. Numerous visitors are expected to witness experiments and visit agricultural and farm village sites in the ‘2005 Year of Visiting Gyeonggi’. 

Each year approximately 30,000 visitors come by the Agriculture and Science Education Center, and check out the Agricultural Culture Exhibition Hall on the fourth floor for a reproduction of Korea’s traditional agricultural practices and the farming equipment of Gyeonggi-do, dating from the pre-historic era to modern times. On the third floor, the High-tech Scientific Agriculture Exhibition Hall traces the changes in new technology, farming tools and supplies enjoyed by contemporary agriculture, along with the exhibition of environment-friendly agriculture and bioengineering innovations. 

In addition, the outdoor exhibition center has new supply of lovely topiary plants around the pond and pavilion, and the tour course is newly developed for visitors to conveniently enjoy the site. 

The Resource Plant Research Center has been newly revised from the past spring, and is totally refurbished with herbal plants, wild flowers and other plants and generic sources of 30,000 pieces. The central trip route and resting area have been revamped to enable visitors to observe the plant resources for greater enjoyment. 

The garden in front of the main hall is now proudly inscribed with the phrase ‘Agriculture is the Warehouse of Our Lives’ on the stone in rice, the symbol of Korean agriculture. This garden is dedicated to demonstrating the value and importance of our national agriculture. 

In addition, a video production on Gyeonggi-do agriculture has been newly produced in four languages (Korean, English, Chinese and Japanese) to benefit domestic visitors as well as guests from overseas. 

In the meantime, GARES has hired two docents (information guides) for visitors, and with the new 5-day working week, has contracted another part-time guide in anticipation of a flood of visitors on the weekend and holidays. More detailed visitor information is available at 031-229-5846~7 (229~5971 for holidays).