Flower Festival in Southern Korea Beckons Visitors for Spring Outings

Gurye, a small farming town in southern Korea, is getting ready to welcome visitors with its famous flower-themed festival starting this weekend.

Every spring the small village turns into a huge garden festooned with the luminous canary colors of cornelian cherry flowers, which start to bloom in early March.

The annual festival, which has long attracted hordes of people, is returning after a hiatus of about three years due to the coronavirus pandemic.

During the festival, which runs until March 19, some 40 events including concerts and hands-on programs will entertain visitors who want to enjoy spring outings amid the flowers, which surround the picturesque town near Mt. Jiri, one of Korea's largest mountains.

Cornelian cherry flowers are known as the harbinger of spring, as they bloom earlier than others such as azaleas and forsythias.

In particular, cornelian cherries are traditionally used in herbal medicine as they are known to be effective for treating fevers and diarrhea, and also have rejuvenating and anti-aging qualities. Gurye accounts for some 70 percent of the country's total production of cornelian cherries.