Lee Hae-rin is a City Desk reporter at The Korea Times, covering social issues, tourism and taekwondo. She is passionate about speaking up for the rights of minorities, including women, LGBTQ+, people with disabilities and animals as well as discovering the latest makgeolli trend in town. Feel free to reach her at lhr@koreatimes.co.kr.
Bananas ripen in Seoul as scorching summer sparks tropical fruit bloom
Bananas hang from a tree at the Cheonsu Urban Farm in Seoul's Nowon District, Thursday. Korea Times photo by Lee Hae-rin
By Lee Hae-rin
As Seoul endures a record-breaking heat wave this summer, an unexpected tropical fruit has begun to take root at an urban farm nestled at the foot of Mount Buram in northern Seoul.
The banana tree, native to Southeast Asia’s humid climates, stands tall and vibrant on a sweltering Thursday afternoon at Cheonsu Urban Farm in Nowon District, nearly one and a half times the average height of an adult man. Its broad, waxy leaves and clusters of ripening fruit have become a local curiosity — and a striking symbol of Korea’s shifting climate.
A rise in average temperatures in Korea — 1.6 degrees Celsius higher than in the early 20th century — has lengthened the growing season, allowing more farmers to cultivate mangoes, bananas, papayas and dragon fruit.
“We began cultivating bananas about four years ago as an experiment, inspired by the success of other subtropical fruits like figs in the warming climate,” said Ma Myung-sun, 75, who has managed the 2,300-square-meter Cheonsu Urban Farm community garden for nearly three decades. He spoke with The Korea Times at his farm.
“Now, of the four banana trees we planted this season, three survived — and one has set fruit,” he said, pointing at the green bunch.
Ma Myung-sun, owner of Cheonsu Urban Farm in Nowon District, northeastern Seoul, speaks during an interview at his farm, Thursday. Korea Times photo by Lee Hae-rin
Bananas have long been a staple fruit in Korea, but for much of the country’s modern history, nearly all of those consumed were imported from warmer regions such as the Philippines, Ecuador and Vietnam.
However, in recent years, particularly in the southern regions, rising temperatures have opened new agricultural possibilities. Areas like Jeju Island and Daegu have pioneered commercial banana cultivation in greenhouses, which require consistent year-round warmth — ideally between 27 and 35 degrees Celsius — and ample rainfall.
As Korea’s climate warms at an unprecedented pace — last year recording the highest annual average temperature on record at 14.5 degrees Celsius — subtropical crops have steadily pushed northward.
Ma, who shelters young banana plants indoors over the winter before transplanting them outdoors each spring, saw his first tree bear fruit last year. This season, amid record-breaking nighttime heat and unrelenting daytime highs, the plant has produced bananas once again.
“When the weather is like Southeast Asia all summer, it isn’t surprising anymore,” he said, “But it’s also a warning. If tropical fruit is growing in Seoul’s open air, it means our summer has changed.”
Word of the bananas has spread through the neighborhood and beyond, drawing curious locals and visitors eager to see the tropical spectacle.
“People have eaten bananas but most have never seen it blossom, especially in our backyard,” he said.
For Ma and his fellow urban farmers, the appearance of tropical crops in northern Seoul is both an agricultural marvel and a stark signal of the planet’s warming.
“People need to recognize the signs,” he said. “A banana tree in Seoul isn’t just a novelty. It’s telling us something important about our future.”