Analysis of Designation and Symbolic Meanings of Floral Emblems in South Korea as Elements of Garden Tourism and Design

This study was conducted to analyze the current state and symbolic meanings of floral emblem designation in local governments of South Korea. The scope of local governments subject to analysis was limited to special city, metropolitan city, province, self-governing province, city, self-governing city, county and district based on their administrative divisions. The floral emblems of local governments and their symbolic meanings as of 2019 were examined. A total of 44 plant species were designated as floral emblems. Many plant species with high designation frequency were included in Rhododendron spp., Rosa spp., Camellia spp., Magnolia spp., and Prunus spp.. Plant species with higher designation frequency tended to have more symbolic meanings. A total of 155 terms were used for the symbolic meanings assigned to all the designated floral emblems. The major symbolic meanings were relevant to material affluence or economic growth, community spirit, and personality generally required from local residents. Most of the plant species linked to the top 10 most frequently assigned terms in symbolic meaning were those of the top 10 most frequently designated floral emblems. In the case of floral emblems with high designation frequency, it was shown that they were linked with various symbolic meanings in order to grant identity with regional distinctiveness and differentiation, regardless of the symbolic meaning that the designated flowers generally have. However, the floral emblems with low designation frequency seem to have relatively strong physical or emotional relevance with local governments and thus are expected to have high utilization in regional branding and tourism marketing.