A Festival of Purple Canola and Peach Blossoms: Yeongcheon Rises as the 'City of Spring'

Over 50,000 Visitors to Riverside Park

An Increase of 8,000 Compared to Last Year

Yeongcheon Peach Blossom National Photography Contest Concludes

Awards Ceremony to Be Held on the 30th

In May, Yeongcheon is captivating tourists and artists from across the country with its vibrant spring flowers and a variety of cultural events, establishing itself as one of South Korea's premier spring flower destinations.

The 'Yeongcheon Riverside Park Purple Canola Flower Field,' created along the banks of the Geumho River in Yeongcheon, has become a major hit.

Scenes from Yeongcheon City’s Spring Flower Outing event held on the 5th with the theme 'Bora'. Provided by Yeongcheon City

According to the city, as of May 17, the number of visitors this year had surpassed 50,000, an increase of more than 8,000 compared to last year.

Since 2023, this area, which spans a total of 17,500 square meters and includes the Geumho riverside walking trail and flower beds, has rapidly gained popularity on social media, becoming a must-visit spot for photographers and bloggers.

In particular, the field creates a picturesque scene reminiscent of a watercolor painting, as the mystical purple canola blooms blend harmoniously with the city’s signature medicinal peony flowers and vibrant red poppies.

On May 5, the city held a 'spring flower outing event' under the theme of 'Purple' to coincide with the blooming season, receiving an enthusiastic response.

On May 16, more than 1,000 members of local organizations from Sasang District, Busan, visited Yeongcheon by taking 23 buses, toured the Bohyeonsan Dam suspension bridge and the lakeside trail, and enjoyed lunch at Yeongcheon Public Market, invigorating the local economy.

A Yeongcheon city official stated, "We are dedicated to cultivating the flower fields and maintaining the walking trails so that purple canola flowers in Yeongcheon are the first thing that comes to mind in May," adding, "We will do our utmost to ensure that visitors have a comfortable and pleasant space to enjoy."

The city plans to hold a social media promotional event titled "Peony: A Healing Journey at the End of Spring" at the Bohyeonsan Medicinal Herb Botanical Garden from May 23 to 25.

The beauty of the peach blossoms that heralded spring in Yeongcheon has also been reborn as art for visitors to enjoy.

The Yeongcheon branch of the Korea Photographers Association (headed by Kim Seunghwan) announced that the awards ceremony for the "16th Yeongcheon Peach Blossom National Photography Contest" will be held at the Yeongcheon Art Creation Studio on May 30.

This contest, which opened on April 5, was organized to promote the excellence of Yeongcheon peaches, renowned for their outstanding taste and fragrance, as well as the region’s beautiful natural scenery.

Amid the passionate enthusiasm of photographers from all over the country, a total of 312 entries were submitted, and high-quality prize-winning works were selected through a rigorous review process.

A total of 312 works were submitted, and as a result of the judging, the gold prize went to "She Is Beautiful" (by Jeong Sewon), while the silver prizes were awarded to "The Peach Blossom Road Connected by Love" (by Lee Mikyung) and "A Joyful Day" (by Kim Myeonghui).

16th Yeongcheon Peach Blossom National Photography Contest Gold Prize Winner 'She Is Beautiful' (by Jeong Sewon). Courtesy of Yeongcheon City

In addition, there were three bronze prize winners, five honorable mentions, five encouragement prizes, and 46 commendation awards.

The exhibition of the winning works will be held at the Yeongcheon Art Creation Studio from May 22 to 30, together with the 23rd Yeongcheon Branch Members' Photo Exhibition of the Korea Photographers Association.

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