Korea's Premier Spring Flower Festival, Jinhae Gunhangje, Ultimately 'Canceled' Again This Year

Despite Efforts to Hold Event, Visitors Urged to Refrain

Prioritizing Citizens' Health and Safety, Aiming to Host Next Year

Cherry Blossoms at Gyeonghwa Station during Jinhae Gunhangje Festival in Changwon City.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Seryeong] The representative spring festival of Changwon City, Gyeongnam, the ‘Jinhae Gunhangje Festival,’ has been canceled again this year due to the spread of the COVID-19 Omicron variant.

The Jinhae Gunhangje Festival originated from a memorial ceremony held in 1952 to commemorate Admiral Yi Sun-sin by erecting his statue and honoring the ‘spirit of Admiral Yi Sun-sin.’

Held annually from April 1 to 10 in Jinhae-gu, Changwon City, the festival boasts attractions and entertainment such as the Admiral Yi Sun-sin Victory Parade, military band and honor guard festivals, the Jinhaeru sea fireworks show, and the cherry blossom clusters at Yeojuacheon Stream and Gyeonghwa Station.

As the largest spring flower festival in Korea, attracting over 3 million visitors each year, it was held without interruption from the first event in 1963 until 2019. However, it has been canceled for three consecutive years from 2020 to this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Changwon City, commemorating the first year of Changwon Special City and the 60th anniversary of the Jinhae Gunhangje Festival in 2022, planned safety measures and carefully considered the direction of the festival.

Following the government’s quarantine guidelines recommending cancellation of festivals amid the spread of Omicron, the city decided not to hold the Gunhangje Festival this year as well to prevent local infections and ensure citizens’ safety.

Despite the cancellation, the city will operate a comprehensive situation room in preparation for visitors coming to see the fully bloomed cherry blossoms, install quarantine booths at major cherry blossom spots such as Yeojuacheon Stream and Gyeonghwa Station, and strongly crack down on illegal street vendors.

A city official said, “We prepared for the festival to comfort citizens exhausted by the prolonged COVID-19 situation and to revitalize the frozen local economy, but we made the difficult decision for the safety of the citizens.”

Kim Hwayoung, Director of the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau, said, “We earnestly ask people to refrain from visiting Jinhae this year as well,” and added, “Next year, we will prepare more thoroughly to offer a variety of attractions and programs so that everyone can enjoy the beautiful cherry blossoms.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.