Flower Festival Season Comes Early Amid Warm Weather

Spring has arrived early this year, with flowers starting to bloom in Korea's southern region.

Apricot or plum flowers, often known as the harbingers of spring, started to bloom a few days ago in Gwangyang, South Jeolla Province.

Gwangyang is one of the best places for spring outings, as the small village turns into a huge flowering garden every spring with apricot or plum flowers in full blossom.

It is also the first place in the country each year to hold a flower-themed festival. As usual, this year's first flower-themed festival starts in Gwangyang this week.

Due to unusually warm weather, it came nine days earlier than last year. During the festival period, flowers there are expected to reach full bloom.

Gurye in South Jeolla Province is famous for the luminous canary colors of its cornelian cherry flowers in mid-March. A festival featuring them will be held from March 16 to 24.

Uiseong in North Gyeongsang Province is also home to some 30,000 cornelian cherry trees that are 200 to 300 years old. Uiseong will hold a festival from March 23 to 31, where visitors can buy local farm produce and other products. Last year, over 200,000 people visited there.

The southern resort island of Jeju is already fully decorated with canola flowers. This year's canola-themed festival will be held in Seogwipo from April 4 to 7.

Meanwhile, tulips of various colors will beautify Taean, South Chungcheong Province, whose annual festival will begin on April 13, a week earlier than last year. Over 2 million tulips are nearing full bloom in a vast 115,700-sq.m park.