SANGMIN LEE

From Goyang, South Korea · to fellow makers everywhere
Sangmin Lee

From nature,
to things we can make together.

Hi, I’m Sangmin. I grow moss into products, build gardens, and make software, games, books and festivals from questions in the field. I’m looking for things we can make together with the materials and ideas in your region.

I understand materials, make things, and run projects and businesses.

Find something to make together ↓See the work and results ↓
Sekyung High School forest, 2023–24 Designed and built by Urban Jungle
Sekyung High School forest, 2023–24
Designed and built by Urban Jungle
02 / What you want to do

What would you like
to make happen?

A local material, a garden question, a way to learn or meet. Choose an interest to see relevant experience and something we could make together.

A collaboration map that starts with your idea

Choose what you want to do. Follow a real example to a shared output and a first conversation.

Your starting pointAn idea to try
Our first collaborationA sample · a tool trial · a lesson · an event

Selected connection · Materials & products

A moss plaque · turning a natural material into a product
The work behind this connection

From raw materials to products and a business

A moss plaque · turning a natural material into a product

Explore this work ↓
What I can share

Moss growing + processing & product development

What you could bring

Local raw materials or by-products + local uses

A small experiment together

One small product from a material near you

An easy first step

Send a photo and a little about the material. Let’s find a use and choose a sample to make locally.

Let’s talk about this ↗

Ideas for a conversation. We can shape them around what works for both of us.

Visiting Korea? Let’s have tea at Hacker Farm. Visits between our farms and forests would be lovely, too.

A simple way to begin.

  1. Meet each other’s world

    Share a material photo or a question from your work.

  2. Choose one small experiment

    Pick a sample, tool, learning activity or exchange to try together.

  3. Try, learn, decide what’s next

    Agree on scope and roles, try something small, then discuss the next collaboration.

03 / Experience behind the possibilities

Made by hand.
Put into practice.

See what I worked on and what came out of it. Find experience that could be useful in your own setting.

A moss plaque · turning a natural material into a product
A moss plaque · turning a natural material into a product
Product making · Business operations

From raw materials to products and a business

My part in the work
Moss cultivation, processing, product making and business operations
What took shape
Moss frames, terrariums and plaques; a plant playground at Lotte Mall Eunpyeong (2023).
Explore a collaboration around this ↗
More photos and the story behind the work

I grow moss and turn it into frames, terrariums and commemorative plaques. My work includes processing materials such as wood and paper, printing and making products, garden construction and education. We also ran a plant playground at Lotte Mall Eunpyeong in 2023. I enjoy figuring out how an idea becomes something people can use.

Actual development screen · a fictional garden example
Actual development screen · a fictional garden example
In development · Public prototype

From field questions to tools for shared decisions

My part in the work
Service planning from field questions; development with AI
What took shape
Garden Atlas design and critique prototypes. Public demos use fictional examples.
Explore a collaboration around this ↗
More photos and the story behind the work

Garden Atlas · landscape design

A design-support prototype for 3D layouts, sun and shade, climate data and comparisons between two design options.

Public demo screen · a fictional critique example
Public demo screen · a fictional critique example

Garden Atlas · expert critique

I’ve built a service flow for sharing design feedback and questions, then turning them into things to check on site. The public demo uses fictional examples.

Explore the Garden Atlas demo & film ↗
Dream Garden · 1:20-scale garden-design board game (2020)
Dream Garden · 1:20-scale garden-design board game (2020)
Board games · Cards · Published books

Making nature approachable through play

My part in the work
Creating a garden-design board game, tree cards and books
What took shape
Dream Garden board game (2020); Plant Coloring & Collage Book, formally published (2022).
Explore a collaboration around this ↗
More photos and the story behind the work
Plant Coloring & Collage Book (2022) · a published nature activity book
Plant Coloring & Collage Book (2022) · a published nature activity book
Dream Garden tree cards — Leaf and bark cards to rediscover the trees around you. Used in school forest classes.
Dream Garden tree cards — Leaf and bark cards to rediscover the trees around you. Used in school forest classes.
Seoul Botanic Park · Winter Garden Festival plant market (2022)
Seoul Botanic Park · Winter Garden Festival plant market (2022)
Festival planning · On-site operations

Bringing people together around nature

My part in the work
Cultural-festival planning and on-site operations
What took shape
Winter Garden Festival plant market and Botanic Summer Night at Seoul Botanic Park (2022).
Explore a collaboration around this ↗
More photos and the story behind the work
Seoul Botanic Park · Botanic Summer Night (2022)
Seoul Botanic Park · Botanic Summer Night (2022)
Explore more garden and school-forest projects
Stories from gardens and forests

The places behind the experience.

From the moss farm to school forests, show gardens, community gardens and everyday care.

Moss farm, Goyang — Growing moss and exploring what it can become. Nature Community / Hacker Farm.
Moss farm, Goyang — Growing moss and exploring what it can become. Nature Community / Hacker Farm.
Sekyung High School forest · 2023–24 — A deck laid among the existing trees so students can sit in the woods. Design and construction.
Sekyung High School forest · 2023–24 — A deck laid among the existing trees so students can sit in the woods. Design and construction.
Sekyung High School forest — Gathering on the round deck under the cherry blossoms.
Sekyung High School forest — Gathering on the round deck under the cherry blossoms.
Heyri, Paju · autumn 2026 — Tree pruning and seasonal garden care with the crew.
Heyri, Paju · autumn 2026 — Tree pruning and seasonal garden care with the crew.
More garden & school-forest projects
Heyri, Paju · 2026 — Inside the shrubs. Tree work from the ground, now adding climbing to it.
Heyri, Paju · 2026 — Inside the shrubs. Tree work from the ground, now adding climbing to it.
Goyang International Flower Festival · 2026 — Doctors Without Borders show garden. Planting design, build and care.
Goyang International Flower Festival · 2026 — Doctors Without Borders show garden. Planting design, build and care.
Goyang International Flower Festival · 2024 — UNICEF show garden. Build and care.
Goyang International Flower Festival · 2024 — UNICEF show garden. Build and care.
Seoul Botanic Park · 2023 — We ran a planting-design competition and built the selected gardens.
Seoul Botanic Park · 2023 — We ran a planting-design competition and built the selected gardens.
Shin Dong-yeop Literary Museum, Buyeo · 2019 — A community garden designed and built with residents.
Shin Dong-yeop Literary Museum, Buyeo · 2019 — A community garden designed and built with residents.
Paju Middle School · 2023–24 — Design visualization of the entrance garden. Detailed design and tree planting.
Paju Middle School · 2023–24 — Design visualization of the entrance garden. Detailed design and tree planting.
The work, in 92 seconds

From the farm to what we could do together.

From the moss farm to gardens, technology, play and cultural festivals. English narration, with English and Korean captions in the player.

Download the film ↓
Read the transcript

Hi, I’m Sangmin, a moss farmer in Goyang, just northwest of Seoul. I find possibilities in nature.

I turn moss into products, from terrariums to commemorative plaques. Making and selling them taught me to connect materials with real needs.

With Urban Jungle, I design and build gardens and school forests. We make places where people can spend time with nature.

Questions from the field also become software. Garden Atlas is a prototype for exploring landscape designs and sharing expert feedback.

I make board games, tree cards, and published books. They give people a playful way to get closer to nature.

I also plan and run cultural festivals. Gardens become places to meet, share stories, and learn from each other.

What could we make together? Your local materials, knowledge, or community could meet my experience in one small experiment.

Send me a photo or a question. Or visit Hacker Farm in Goyang, and let’s have a cup of tea.

01Discover

Find materials and questions on the farm and in the field.

02Make

Turn them into products, gardens and tools to explore their use.

03Share

Bring people together through play, publishing and festivals.

In Korea? Let’s have a cup of tea.

I’m learning tree climbing, too. I’d love to visit each other’s farms and forests, as colleagues with something to teach and something to learn.

04 / A conversation is a beginning

A photo is enough
to start a conversation.

I’d love to hear about your place, materials or questions. You don’t need a finished proposal.

Your selected conversation

One small product from a material near you

Write an email about this ↗

Opens a draft in your email app. Make it your own before sending.

Sangmin Leeurbanjunglelab@gmail.com+82 10-2295-7100Goyang, South Korea · just northwest of Seoul
Save contact

More about my background and activities
A little about me

I like making things—and making them with people.

Connection Designer
I connect nature, people and the systems between them.

I'm a moss farmer. I grow moss at our farm in Goyang and, with Urban Jungle, turn it into products: moss frames, terrariums, plaques. We also design and build gardens, school forests and show gardens.

I’ve developed, made and sold products, run garden projects, and organised places for people to gather. I’d love to share the practical skills and the lessons learned along the way with people in other countries.

I also connect people through garden, greening and forest associations. These days I’m learning tree climbing. I’d love to visit each other’s forests and explore new uses for the materials around us.

Urban Jungle어반정글

Co-founder
Moss products, gardens, school forests, show gardens

Hacker Farm헤커팜 · 네이처커뮤니티

Moss farm and farm community
Nature experiences, making, gatherings

Associations협회 활동

Garden Association · Artificial Ground Greening Association
Forest Social & Solidarity Economy Council

Sociaisociai.org

AI applications & software development
Learning content, workshops

If you want to see more.

Photos: project records of Urban Jungle, Nature Community and Hacker Farm. Korean names are shown alongside. Page v10 · 2026-10-10.