Orchid Korea Festival
By Shim Hyun-chul
Staff Reporter
Despite the spring frost, the arrival of the new season is in full swing. Flower buds are awakening from winter hibernation and announcing spring across the country.
Of the many spring festivities, the 2009 Korea Orchid Festival is taking place through April 26 at Seoul Grand Park in Gwacheon. The largest of its kind in the country, the festival celebrates the centennial anniversary of the Zoological Garden.
Over 16,000 of some 450 different types of orchids are on display, including 500 award-winning plants chosen for their superior quality and rare Eastern and Western species.
The exhibition is divided into four themes and offers visitors a variety of things to see and experience. Everyday, there are classes on raising orchids, planting a pretty flowerpot, making crafts with pressed flowers, and many more opportunities to learn about orchids.
Orchids bear beautiful, elegantly scented buds each spring, and have long been loved by Koreans, particularly among scholars, as they symbolized the honor and integrity of a wise man. They continue to inspire many, and new species are being developed everyday.
For more information about the orchid festival, visit https://grandpark.seoul.go.kr or call (02) 500-7335.