GOYANG — A large vegetable farm built from paper has appeared in the main space on the first floor of Starfield in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province. Playing farmers for a day, visitors cleared away trash such as plastic and vinyl so that paper carrots, pumpkins and radishes could grow well, then harvested the fully grown "paper vegetables" themselves. At first glance it looks like a simple farm experience for children, but each program embeds the eco-friendly values of paper — low carbon, biodegradability and recycling. This is "Paper Adventure 2026 — Moorim Paper Garden," organized by domestic paper maker Moorim Paper (009200.KS).
Paper Adventure is an experiential ESG event that Moorim Paper has held every year since 2022, designed to let participants directly experience the eco-friendly value of paper through a variety of programs. It began from the idea that making good paper resembles growing healthy crops. This year's event was held under the theme "Paper Garden, a Farm That Grows Good Paper."
When this reporter visited the Moorim Paper Garden on the 22nd, participants had gathered in such numbers that a long line formed to enter. Large paper sculptures of pumpkins, carrots and radishes, visible from a distance, drew people in. Visitors passing by to shop stopped to look around the experience space and naturally took an interest in the event. Participants ranged widely in age, from parents holding children by the hand to middle and high school students.
The experience begins at the "Paper Farmer Diagnosis Station," where participants are assigned a farmer mission. Standing in front of a screen, an artificial intelligence facial recognition program analyzes the face and picks one of three paper farmer types. The vitamin-rich carrot represents "low-carbon paper," the easy-to-digest radish stands for "biodegradable paper," and the nutrient-rich pumpkin means "recycled paper." This reporter was assigned the radish. After receiving a paper farmer mission ticket, the experience began in earnest.
The first mission was "Protect the Paper Vegetables." From a set spot, participants throw balls to hit models of pests, plastic cups, straws and vinyl placed around the farm. As this reporter threw the balls to remove the plastic trash one by one, onlookers cheered and the parents of participating children were busy filming with their phones.
In the next stage, "Harvest the Paper Vegetables," participants put on straw hats and carried baskets into the field like real farmers. The mission was to find and harvest three radishes planted around the field within a 30-second time limit. When the start signal sounded, participants moved between the rows, pulling up paper vegetables and putting them in their baskets. It looked simple, but the short time meant participants had to hurry more than expected. The vegetables that participants touched and pulled were made from low-carbon paper that Moorim produced by reducing carbon emissions during manufacturing.
After harvesting the paper vegetables, participants take photos at the "Paper Farmer Photo Zone" set up to one side of the experience space. Around carrot, radish and pumpkin sculptures taller than a person, paper flowers and reeds created a farm atmosphere. Participants took photos in front of the vegetable that symbolized their assigned farmer type.
After completing all the missions, visitors moved to "Muhae Store," which sells eco-friendly products. The store displayed a range of items, from carrot-, radish- and pumpkin-shaped memo pads made with Moorim Paper's low-carbon paper to showerheads with natural pulp filters and paper wet wipes. They could also be bought. Several products were made specially for the event rather than being existing releases.
Those who finished all the activities could receive a paper farmer certificate. Participants who collected all the stamps from each stage received a "Good Paper Farmer Certificate" along with souvenirs such as paper wet wipes. When they then placed their mission ticket into the biodegradation system slot set up nearby, a video showed on screen the process of paper returning to nature.
One student who finished the experience said, "The mission where you throw balls to remove trash was the most fun," adding, "It was amazing to see big vegetables made out of paper." The student also said, "From now on I'll use a lot of eco-friendly paper so the vegetables can grow well."
