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

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Ahead of Chuseok, it was a wonderful weekend to fully enjoy the autumn season. Word has it 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 sentiment.

Downtown parks were filled with families out for picnics.

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

Children shooting bows and wearing armor to become fortress guards also catch the eye.

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

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The footsteps of visitors paying their respects ahead of the holiday also continued at the National Cemetery.

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

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

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Markets are bustling with people shopping for Chuseok.

Smiles never leave the face of a rice cake shop owner enjoying the peak seasonal boom.

[Kim Young-geum / Rice Cake Vendor: There were a huge number of customers throughout the week for five days. When I come out at 6 a.m., I keep selling, making, and packaging until 8 p.m....]

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As chilly weather with large daily temperature ranges continues morning and night, autumn foliage is projected to appear earlier as well.

On September 14, the first autumn foliage of the year was observed at Mount Jeombongsan in Inje, Gangwon Province.

Autumn foliage coloring more than 20 percent of the mountains 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.