I was born and raised in a medium-sized provincial town. At the time, as was the case in most urban areas, the rapidly growing population resulted in poor living conditions. Thus, investment in events regarding landscaping, such as flower festivals, was rare.

In the spring, a few flower festivals, like the Jinhae Naval Festival and the Changgyeongwon Cherry Blossom Festival, made national news, but they were not accessible to ordinary people. Especially for us young children, we were happy enough with seeing forsythia, rhododendrons and cherry blossoms blooming brightly in turn along the roadside on our way to school. We were really happy to feel spring, then.

But times have changed. Now, it feels like spring in Korea begins with "flower festivals." Across the country, dozens of flower festivals have been held or are taking place this month alone. It looks like that almost all local governments operate and support them competitively. At least........

© The Korea Times