Still Hot During the Day… When Will Autumn Foliage Peak?

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Ahead of the Chuseok holiday, it was a wonderful weekend to fully enjoy autumn. Word is that autumn foliage news will arrive a bit earlier this year.

Reporter Lee Se-hyeon captured the scenes of citizens enjoying their holiday.

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Trees beginning to turn red and breezes cutting through the hot sunlight add to the autumn ambiance.

Downtown parks were filled with families out for a picnic.

[Kim Pur-na and Kim Ji-o / Hanam, Gyeonggi Province: The weather is hot, but the shade feels nice. Our grandmother picked chestnuts from the mountain and peeled them for us, and they were delicious.]

Children shooting bows and wearing armor to play the role of fortress guards also catch the eye.

Ahead of Chuseok, notes wishing for the health and well-being of families are piling up thick on this wall.

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Visitors also continued to make their way to the National Cemetery in advance of the long holiday to pay respects to their ancestors.

A bride-to-be greets her late husband's grandparents to mark her first holiday season.

[Kim Seul-gi / Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province: Since we are getting married soon, we came to greet my husband's grandfather and grandmother ahead of time because traffic is expected to be too heavy during the holiday.]

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Markets are bustling with people shopping for Chuseok.

Smiles do not leave the face of a rice cake shop owner enjoying a booming seasonal business.

[Kim Young-geum / Rice Cake Vendor: It has been extremely busy for five days throughout the entire week. Coming out at 6:00 AM, we keep selling, making, and packaging until 8:00 PM...]

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As chilly weather with wide temperature swings between morning and evening continues, autumn foliage is also expected to appear earlier.

On September 14, this year's first autumn foliage was observed at Mount Jeombongsan in Inje, Gangwon Province.

Autumn foliage covering over 20 percent of a mountain is expected to begin around September 30 for Mount Seoraksan in Gangwon Province, October 18 for Mount Bukhansan in Seoul, and October 21 for Mount Hallasan in Jeju.

(Video by Kim Seung-tae and Yoon In-su / TJB | Video Editing by Kim Jong-mi | Design by Kang Yoon-jung | Photo courtesy of Korea National Arboretum)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.