Where to find best roses in Korea this month

Visitors enjoy the Seoul Rose Festival in Jungnang District, Sunday. Courtesy of Jungnang District

Rose festivals are blooming across the country this month, ready to draw large crowds from Seoul to the coasts.

The Seoul Rose Festival in Jungnang District opened Friday and runs through Saturday. Featuring a rose tunnel stretching 5.45 kilometers along Jungnang Stream, the festival showcases about 320,000 roses of 232 varieties.

Further south on the coast, the Ulsan Grand Park Rose Festival will open Wednesday and run through Monday. In conjunction with the 2028 Ulsan International Garden Expo, the festival aims to reinforce the city's image as a garden culture destination. The rose garden spans 56,174 square meters and features 3 million roses of 265 varieties, with night lighting installations that give the grounds a distinct look after dark.

A photo zone runs through May 31, and the city plans to operate a QR code-based map service and free shuttle buses circling the park for visitor convenience.

Roses bloom at Samcheok Rose Park in Samcheok, Gangwon Province, Thursday. Yonhap

On the east coast of Gangwon Province, the Samcheok Rose Festival runs Tuesday through Monday at Samcheok Rose Park, showcasing 130,000 roses of 218 varieties across 85,000 square meters. Highlights include a performance by the Korean Air Force's Black Eagles aerobatic flight team on Saturday, rose-themed career and craft programs, a food zone and souvenir booths. Wheelchair and stroller rentals are also available.

On the outskirts of Seoul, the Million Roses Garden at Mount Dodang in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, hosts its annual rose festival from Saturday through June 7. The 20,000-square-meter garden features 156 varieties of roses and draws visitors each year at peak bloom for its European garden atmosphere and photo-worthy scenery.

In South Jeolla Province, the Gokseong International Rose Festival starts Friday and runs through May 31 at Seomjin River Train Village, showcasing 1,004 varieties sourced from Europe. This year's festival places a special emphasis on nighttime programming, with illuminated photo zones, outdoor film screenings and live performances running into the evening.

In neighboring North Jeolla Province, the Imsil N Rose Festival makes its debut this month, running May 28-31 at Imsil Cheese Theme Park, where a 65,000-square-meter rose garden features 22,000 roses of 150 varieties. The grounds have been further enhanced with hydrangeas, seasonal flowers, decorative sculptures and photo zones.