The slopes of Hallasan are now wonderfully white with flowering buckwheat. Tourists and locals alike are captivated with the sight. Mike Balfour has more. Report
White buckwheat fields reach across the slopes under a blue sky.
The dramatic backdrop, Hallasan, hovers over.
Looking down toward the sea, Jeju City sits in miniature.
Visitors can walk across the flowering field feeling the turn of the season.
INTERVIEW Yu Seung-hyeon / Tourist from Cheong-ju It’s really beautiful. The buckwheat flowers are like floating snow on the mountain. <인터뷰 : 유승현/충청북도 청주시> "도시에서 볼 수 없는 정말 아름다운 풍경이고 (메밀꽃이) 산과 잘 어울려서 눈이 떠 다니는 느낌이었어요."
INTERVIEW Hwang Ji-yeong, Oh Yeong-seong / Jeju City We found this beautiful area this fall. We’re glad we came and took pictures of the baby against the backdrop of the white flowers. <인터뷰 : 황지영 오영성/제주시 이도동> "저도 제주도민인데 이곳은 처음 알아서 왔는데 너무 좋고 잘 온 것 같고요. 아기한테 좋은 사진 찍어줘서 좋고, 예쁜 걸 보니 좋습니다."
For Koreans, buckwheat flowers bring to mind the novel “When the buckwheat flowers blossom”, set in (평창) Pyeongchang.
Despite that perception, Jeju is the main producer of buckwheat in Korea. 70 percent of the national yield comes from the island.
Next year, Jeju is planning to hold a buckwheat flower festival at this 800,000 square meter location, the largest buckwheat field in the nation.
Now is the time to celebrate the turning of seasons while the snow-like fields of buckwheat are at their peak.
