For many South Koreans, it feels like spring hasn’t arrived yet.

Thanks to the novel coronavirus, school closures and social distancing mean many of us spend most of our time indoors.

But many parts of the country are already in color, with seasonal flowers coming into bloom about a month earlier than usual.

In Seoul, yellow forsythia bushes are usually one of the first signs of spring.

 

One of the popular places for spring festivals in the city is Eungbongsan in Seongdeong-gu, bordering the Han River.

Famed for its yellow forsythia, the 95-meter mountain comes to life with around 200,000 forsythia bushes.

It offers a panoramic view of the city and the river, while allowing hikers to enjoy the yellow bushes in early April.

Trains on the Gyeongui-Jungang line pass by the yellow mountain, creating a spectacular view. 






There is a main road running from Seoul Forest to Eungbongsan to Namsan, where people can walk or jog as they enjoy the spring. It takes a whole day to complete this course.

Unfortunately, this year’s forsythia festival at Eungbongsan has been canceled due to the COVID-19 spread.

But how about visiting a flower covered mountain on your own to lift some of the gloom of the global pandemic?


Photo by Park Hyun-koo
Written by Song Su-hyun (song@heraldcorp.com)