Springtime blooms set for earlier-than-expected arrival

Food & Travel

Published: 23 Mar. 2023, 13:04 Updated: 24 Mar. 2023, 09:22

Springtime blooms set for earlier-than-expected arrival

Cherry blossoms are flowering in Jeju in early March [NEWS1]

Spring is in the air. With an unusually large number of warm spells hitting Seoul since early February, flower buds are already sprouting across the city.

Cherry blossoms, a locals' favorite, are expected to bloom about one to seven days earlier than usual, depending on the region.

According to the local weather information center Weatheri, cherry blossoms began blooming on March 22 in Seogwipo, Jeju, and will fully blossom around March 29. Southern regions of the country such as Daegu and Gwangju will see the blossoms from March 26 to 31, and central and northern regions such as Andong in North Gyeongsang, Suwon in Gyeonggi, Incheon and Chuncheon in Gangwon will see them between March 31 and April 8.

In Seoul, cherry blossoms are expected to flower from April 4, painting the streets deep blush by April 10.

The warmer climate is behind the early cherry blossom blooms. The average temperature of March is consistently rising every year, and consequently, the flowers are blooming earlier, according to The Korea Meteorological Administration’s report which analyzed 101 years' worth of data, from 1922 to 2022.

Festival organizers are now in a hurry, especially as many are expecting sizable crowds with the country’s mask mandate nearly totally lifted as of Monday.

Yeongdeungpo District in western Seoul announced last week that it will be resuming The Yeouido Cherry Blossom Festival — one of the most popular spring flower festivals in the capital. The event had been either completely shut down or partially open for the past three years due to Covid-19. This year, under the theme of “Spring Again” the festival will open at full scale. It is set to take place from April 4 to 9, though dates may change depending on the cherry blossoms’ flowering time, said the district office.

The festival drew some 5 million visitors before Covid-19 and expects to see around the same number of people this year. In preparation for such a large crowd, some 1.7 kilometers of Yeouiseo-ro, which is the road behind the National Assembly, and the public parking lot at the southern end of Seogang Bridge will be closed for cars from noon of April 3 to April 10, according to district officials. Yeongdeungpo District also plans to crack down on and monitor illegal street vendors, unauthorized parking and excessive crowding in the area.

Large crowds at last year's Yeouido Cherry Blossom Festival at Yeongdeungpo District, western Seoul [JOONGANG ILBO]

Seokchon Lake Park in Songpa District, southern Seoul, is another famous spot in Seoul to relish in springtime cherry blossoms. A 2.5-kilometer (1.5-mile) circular trail surrounding the artificial lake is neatly lined with dozens of cherry blossom trees which attract some 5 million people every year, according to the district office. This year’s cherry blossom festival will be held from April 5 to 9. The district official in charge of the festival said that it will manage crowds by hiring professional crowd safety officials as well as having medical staff on standby.

Neither Songpa District nor Yeongdeungpo District has announced additional security policies outside of the festivals’ periods.

Cherry blossoms on the roadside surrounding the National Assembly Building at Yeungdeungpo District, western Seoul, in April 2022. [YONHAP]

For those looking for more places to observe cherry blossoms this spring — and most likely, with less people — car-sharing app Socar last week released a list of the 10 most visited cherry blossom spots with data from its app users last year.

The most visited location of its users during the cherry blossom season from March 20 to April 10 was Songdo Central Park in Incheon, followed by Ilsan Lake Park in Goyang-si, Gyeonggi; Hwaseong Fortress in Suwon; Seoul Forest in Seongdong District, eastern Seoul; Yeouido Park; Seokchon Lake Park; Seoul Children's Grand Park in Gwangjin District, eastern Seoul; E-World in Daegu; Bomun Lake in Gyeongju, North Jeolla; and Oncheoncheon Stream in Busan.

The culture of enjoying a day outdoors when flowers bloom in spring, also called sangchun, has been a tradition in Korea, dating back to the 8th century. Even in the late Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910), there are records of people appreciating various flowers such as apricot blossoms, peach blossoms, willow trees and lotus flowers planted in and around the city walls. However, there is no mention of cherry blossoms anywhere until the Japanese planted them during its colonial rule of Korea (1910-45).

People enjoy cherry blossoms in 2006 near Changgyeonggung Palace in Jongno District, central Seoul [JOONGANG ILBO]

One of the first cherry blossom hotspots in Korea was Changgyeonggung Palace, called Changgyeongwon at the time because the Japanese turned the ancient royal palace into a zoo. Dozens of cherry blossom trees that they brought from Japan were planted in today's Jongno District, central Seoul.

In 1984, Changgyeongwon disappeared as part of the restoration work of Changgyeonggung Palace and the remnants of Japanese colonial rule in Korea were erased. Animals as well as some cherry blossom trees that were planted there were moved to Children's Grand Park. A significant number of the cherry blossom trees were moved to Yeouido and this contributed to the creation of the current rich cherry blossom scenery there, according to Korea Forest Service.

Changgyeongggung was turned into a zoo called Changgyeongwon during Japanese colonial rule of Korea (1910-45) [JOONGANG ILBO]

Cherry blossoms aren’t the only flowers that will be blooming this season.

Eungbongsan, a mountain in Seongdong District, is one the first places to see signs of spring in Seoul as its forsythias are entering full bloom. The 2023 Forsythia Festival held at the mountain runs from March 23 to 25 and includes a breakdance concert, a drawing competition, photo zones and food carts.

Busan Nakdong River Canola Flower Festival is held at Daejeo Ecological Park in Busan, the largest canola flower complex in Korea. The festival is from April 8 to 16.

The Busan Nakdong River Canola Flower Festival held at Daejeo Ecological Park in Busan, the largest canola flower complex in Korea, in April 2022. [YONHAP]

In Taean, South Chungcheong, the Taean World Tulip Flower Expo will be held at the Korea Flower Park from April 12 to May 7. It features over 100 kinds of tulips from all over the world as well as other varieties of spring flowers, including daffodils, cherry blossoms and margarets.

Incheon's Mount. Goryeo Azalea Festival runs from April 15 to 23. About 436 meters (1430 feet) above sea level, the pinky mountain peak is visited by some 400,000 people every year. Festival activities include activities such as face painting and kite flying.

The 2023 Daechungho Cherry Blossom Trail Marathon in Daejeon is set for April 8. There are three courses with different distances: 10 kilometers, 5 kilometers and 21 kilometers. Part of its proceeds goes to charity and more information can be found on dcrace.com.