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

[Anchor]

Many people are heading out to enjoy the cool autumn weather ahead of the Chuseok holiday. It is said that autumn foliage can be seen even earlier this year.

Reporter Lee Se-hyeon has the details.

[Reporter]

Trees starting to turn red and breezes cutting through the hot sunlight add to the autumn sentiment.

City parks are packed with families out for outings.

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

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

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

---

Visitors continued to make their way to the National Cemetery ahead of the long holiday to pay their respects.

A bride-to-be is greeting her husband's late grandparents to mark her first holiday with the family.

[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 the holiday because traffic tends to be too heavy during the holiday itself.]

---

Markets are bustling with people buying groceries for Chuseok.

Smiles do not leave the face of a rice cake shop owner experiencing the holiday peak.

[Kim Young-geum / Rice Cake Vendor: There were a lot of customers all week for five days. Coming out at 6 a.m. and staying until 8 p.m., I just keep selling, making, and packaging...]

---

As chilly weather with large temperature differences between morning and evening continues, autumn foliage is expected to appear earlier as well.

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