Buzz
Compared to Japan, South Korean cherry blossoms may be younger, but they are enough to charm tourists from both home and abroad who come to admire the blooming flowers in the spring. And behind that, lies the story of a smokeless industry.
South Korea Tourism: The cherry blossom season has begun in this way...
Similar to Japan several decades ago, Koreans worked tirelessly and set aside all pleasures such as tourism and relaxation... But then came a wave - romantic television dramas - with handsome boys and beautiful girls, along with sceneries... even more beautiful.
Then from books to movies, visits to filming locations, beautiful local sceneries, forming a smokeless industry to welcome tourists as well as to encourage Koreans to work less and vacation more, to live for a longer future.
Gradually, a habit formed: traveling by season. Koreans love sports, are fond of activities, so in winter they go skiing, in autumn they admire red maple leaves, in summer they go mountain climbing, camping by the streams, and in spring they go flower viewing.
Spring is the season when flowers bloom most vibrantly in the land known for its chilling name: South Korea. Spring flowers in South Korea are usually common species such as rapeseed flowers, white apricot blossoms, azaleas, cherry blossoms, magnolias... However, in recent years, the local authorities have been planting a particular flower species more, and that is cherry blossoms.
In Korean, the word 봄 [bom] (spring) originates from the word 보다 [boda] (to see). It loosely translates to 'admiring' the myriad of blooming flowers. With a long winter, spring in South Korea is the season of tender buds and blossoms bursting forth, creating a vibrant green space.
Spring in South Korea usually begins around mid-March and lasts until the end of April. During this period, the weather starts to warm up, and various flowers, including cherry blossoms, vie to bloom.
The regions that bloom first are usually the warmer southern areas such as Jeju Island, Gyeongsang Province... then gradually spread to the central regions and gently to the northern regions like Seoul, Gangwon.
In the spring sunlight, the bare branches of winter turn green again, while cherry blossoms simultaneously burst into bloom, blending shades of pink and white, swaying in the sunlight.
However, due to the harsh weather conditions in South Korea, the peak blooming period is quite short, usually only about two weeks, as the flowers fall after a few spring showers.
Just like in Japan, to catch the most beautiful scenery of blooming flowers, spring is the perfect time. The Korean Meteorological Administration continuously provides weather forecasts, while local TV channels and websites are buzzing with announcements of where and when cherry blossoms will bloom most splendidly.
I'm in Mokpo, a city in South Jeolla Province, South Korea. This year, there's a little surprise as cherry blossoms here bloomed early, so there's a small cherry blossom festival at a nearby amusement park (from March 19 to April 10).
Amidst the crowd admiring the flowers, amidst the dreamy scenery, I also notice the space brightening up, full of vitality.
Source: Tuoi Tre
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Reference: Travel Guide Mytour
TravelMagic.comApril 15, 2016
