[Travel Bits] Festivals, sights across Korea

Hampyeong Butterfly Festival

The Hampyeong Butterfly Festival runs through May 8 in Hampyeong, South Jeolla Province, including Hampyeong Expo Park.

The annual festival seeks to provide the opportunity to learn about the Korean nature, including flowers, insects and more.

The event seeks to entertain the visitors and tourists with VR and hands-on experiences with butterflies, insects, local artists’ performance and other cultural exhibitions.

The Hampyeong Expo Park is open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Tickets for children are 3,000 won. For teenagers and adults, it is 5,000 won and 7,000 won, respectively.

Updated information can be found at www.hpftf.or.kr. 

Mungyeong Chasabal Festival

The Mungyeong Chasabal Festival is running as an online-offline hybrid festival through May 8.

The festival will be held at Mungyeongsaejae Open Set Studio in Mungyeong, North Gyeongsang Province, an area famous for traditional ceramics. Visitors can learn the different steps of making traditional ceramics.

Programs include a stamp tour, tarot reading section with traditional ceramics and exhibition hall and more.

An online Chasabal shopping and additional auction program will be held on the Mungyeong Cultural Tourism Foundation’s official YouTube channel.

More information can be found at www.sabal21.com. 

Beartree Park’s Royal Azalea Festival

The Beartree Park’s Royal Azalea Festival will run through May 8 at Beartree Park in Sejong.

After the cherry blossoms and plum blossoms fall, the azaleas are dressed in red, white and purple, creating colorful scenery across the park.

The park opens at 9 a.m.

Tickets cost 8,000 won, 10,000 won for teenagers and 12,000 won for adults.

The festival offers an additional program called plant repotting experience, where participants can learn how to repot houseplants.

More information can be found at www.beartreepark.com. 

Cheongnamdae Spring Flower Festival

The Cheongnamdae Spring Flower Festival will run through May 8 at Cheongnamdae in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province.

Once a private villa used by presidents of South Korea, Cheongnamdae opened to the public in 2003.

Filled with spring flowers, the festival welcomes visitors of all ages with sculptures, art paintings and wild flowers.

Cheongnamdae is open from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and closed Mondays.

Admission fees range from 3,000 won to 5,000 won for children, teenagers and adults.

Online reservation is required.

Updated information can be found at https://chnam.chungbuk.go.kr/index.do. 

Hueree Hydrangea Festival

The Hueree Hydrangea Festival will run through May 31 at Hueree Natural Park on Jeju Island.

Visitors can stroll around the park near South Korea’s highest peak Hallasan and enjoy the spring breeze.

The annual festival highlights Jeju Island’s splendid scenery and colorful hydrangeas with photo zones. For the children, there is horse riding and a small parade of Jeju black pigs.

Admission fees vary by age and program.

Updated information can be found at www.hueree.com and www.visitjeju.net/en.

By Lee Si-jin (sj_lee@heraldcorp.com)