There are three places in South Korea where you have your fill of plum or apricot blossoms ( maehwa). Top of the list is the Gwangyang Festival in the southern province of Jeollanam-do. it will be held between the 13th and the 21st of March this year.
Reason to head south to Maehwa Village a.k.a. Seomjin Village near Gwangyang City? It has the reputation of possessing the highest number of Japanese apricot trees ( more than 100,000 trees apparently).
It's hard to imagine what life in this quiet village by the Seomjin River was like before Kim Ocheon brought the saplings from Japan to transplant them on the mountain slopes here around 1940. Other villagers soon caught the maehwa fever, continued his good work and now they can share the fruits ( literally and figuratively) with the rest of their countrypeople as well as tourists from around the world. We can now enjoy organic maekwa fruits as well as other related food and drink items made from the green variety known as Cheong-maesil.
If you don't fancy sharing the joys of springtime with crowds of visitors, check out the second place which also has Japanese apricots at Bohae-maehwa (Japanese apricot) Farm in Yejeong-ri, Sani-myeon Haenam-gun, also in Jeollanam-do. It's the property of the Bohae Distillery Company with around 14,000 Japanese apricot trees and you're advised to phone the farm beforehand (☎061-532-4959) to check when exactly is the best time to visit.
It may be too late already to catch the blossoming of these flowers in Jeju Island but you may make a note to be there next year at Hueree Nature Farm which also has a mini maehwa fest. If the timing is off, at least you have a great picnic and enjoy the pastoral setting complete with farm animals.
Sources:
http://asiaenglish.visitkorea.or.kr/ena/SI/SI_EN_3_2_1.jsp?cid=700154
http://www.gwangyang.go.kr/maehwa/
