Spring in Seoul

Korean spring is a wonderful time when the country erupts in a riot of color. Seoul is no exception---everywhere you go in the city, you’re greeted by the yellow and pink springtime blossoms. Perhaps the most dramatic of these blooming flowers is the cherry blossom. This fragile but beautiful white-pink flower can be found blossoming on trees throughout Seoul, but the best place perhaps to walk among the cherry blossoms is Yeouido, the Hangang River “island” often called Seoul’s Manhattan. Yeouido Park is lined with some 1,400 cherry blossoms, some of them 30 to 40 years old. As you walk beneath the cherry blossoms, it’s like strolling though a fairy tale as the cherry blossom petals fall like spring snow. During cherry blossom season, Yeouido plays host to a number of cultural events as well. Nearby are the domed National Assembly Building and the landmark “63 Building.”Yeouido Park can be reached via Yeouinaru Station, Subway Line 5.