Cherry blossom street on Yeouido to be open next week due to delayed blooming
Cherry blossom trees have yet to fully bloom on Seoul's Yeouido, April 1. Yonhap
A famous cherry blossom street on Seoul's Yeouido will be open to the public from April 9 to 17, about a week later than planned, due to a delay in the trees blooming, the district office said Friday.
Yeouiseoro Street, which was off limits during the cherry blossom season for the past two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, had initially been scheduled to open to the public March 31, but the Yeongdeungpo District office pushed back the opening to April 2 and then April 9, as flowering was delayed due to unseasonably low temperatures.
"We rescheduled it in order to present a warmer and more radiant cherry blossom street as it will be open for the first time in three years," Chai Hyun-il, the district chief, said.
During the period, a 1.7-kilometer-long section of the street near the National Assembly, one of the most-visited spots during the cherry blossom season, will be pedestrian only to welcome visitors from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekdays and 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekends.
But no annual cherry blossom festivals, including social activities, will be held during the period this spring as well due to lingering coronavirus infection fears. (Yonhap)