[DigitalToday reporter Jin-ho Lee] LG Uplus, together with the LG Sangnok Foundation, created a provisional "biodiversity garden" at Hwadam Forest in Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province, bringing together native and endemic plants from South Korea.

LG Uplus said on Sept. 27 it planted about 10,000 plants of about 120 native and endemic species, including 34 indigenous plant species, in an area of about 1,600 square metres inside Hwadam Forest.

The garden includes plants such as the swallow-wort flower, Heuksando hosta, Geumgang bellflower, island thyme, island speedwell, Ulleung chrysanthemum and Halla astilboides. Rather than creating a separate exhibition space, it uses the existing terrain and background forest so visitors can observe a variety of native plants as they tour Hwadam Forest.

LG Uplus applied its Internet of Things (IoT) technology to garden management. Through "underground soil component monitoring" sensors and "facility collapse detection" IoT sensors, it checks soil moisture and acidity, as well as the vibration and tilt of facilities.

LG Uplus and the LG Sangnok Foundation plan to use the related data for garden maintenance and management. Hwadam Forest plans to expand the types of plants and the scale of planting depending on the future status of securing native plants.

Ahead of the official opening, LG Uplus invited about 40 people, including visually impaired people and their families, to check convenience in using the garden. On Oct. 19, it will hold an appreciation event for 5,000 long-term customers and introduce the biodiversity garden.

Park Kyung-joong (박경중), an executive director in charge of external cooperation at LG Uplus, said, "Biodiversity conservation is an important environmental task that companies must continue to pay attention to," and added, "Through sponsorship and cooperation for Hwadam Forest's ecological conservation activities, we will help citizens experience the value of nature."