Festivals, sights across Korea

The Wonju Yongsugol Poppy Festival runs through June 7 in Wonju, Gangwon Province, marking its 19th edition.

It began in 2005 when a farmer planted poppies on a 990-square-meter plot. Crowds grew, and from 2007, the village corporation and residents took over operations.

The 43,000-square-meter grounds feature poppies alongside 43 flower varieties with overlapping bloom times.

Activities include poppy T-shirt making, a train ride and nature crafts. The Poppy Garden Market sells commemorative handkerchiefs and red umbrellas alongside seedlings and crafts from local farmers.

Admission is 5,000 won for adults and middle and high school students, and 3,000 won for seniors 65 and older, disabled visitors, veterans and groups of 30 or more. Elementary students and younger children enter for free.

The Gochang Mudflat Festival runs June 5 through 7 at Mandol Mudflat in Gochang, North Jeolla Province, part of the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Gochang tidal flats.

Visitors can dig for clams during scheduled tide times, with sessions starting at 9 a.m. June 5, 10 a.m. June 6 and 11 a.m. June 7. A 100-person guided walk along the chenier sand deposits is scheduled for June 6 at 11 a.m.

Other activities include bare-handed eel catching, free eel tastings, a K-pop dance competition, a mudflat meditation contest and pool games. Vendors sell fresh local seafood and produce, including the region's signature pungcheon eel and clams.

Admission is free. The eel-catching session costs 5,000 won per person, with each participant taking home one eel. Food and other experience booths are paid separately.

Everland's Rose Festival opened May 22 at the amusement park in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, with 3 million roses across 720 varieties in bloom through June 21.

This year's theme reimagines the Rose Garden as a European-style hotel garden. Guests pass through a hotel gate at the entrance and follow a path that ends at the Rose Castle, decorated with vintage luggage and drawings by artist Daria Song.

A 3-meter chandelier anchors the central Purple Rose Zone, glowing alongside garden lighting after dark. At the Rose Lab, visitors can sample four scents from EverRose, the in-house variety Everland has been developing since 2013.

A four-piece jazz band performs daily near the Rose Castle. Italian restaurant Cucina Mario is serving rose-themed dishes for the run, including a beef pizza shaped like a blooming rose and an apple-slice rose ade.

The Asan Oeam Folk Village Night Festival opens May 29 in Asan, South Chungcheong Province, running through May 31.

The three-night program turns one of Korea's best-preserved Joseon-era villages into an after-dark stage. Oeam, a designated national folk cultural heritage site, retains its stone walls, thatched-roof cottages and traditional hanok.

Programming spans nine themes. Lanterns and media art projections light the stone-wall paths, while costumed guides lead moonlight strolls and a game challenging visitors to find the Joseon-era scholar Yi Gan.

Performances include a reenactment of a traditional wedding and a dance piece on Yi Gan's life. Visitors can try folk games, attend a quiz night at the village seodang, sample street food at outdoor taverns and book an overnight stay in a hanok.

Admission is free.

The Car-Free Jamsu Bridge Festival continues every Sunday through June 14, taking over the lower deck of the Banpo Bridge with food, music and walkable lanes where cars usually run.

Now in its fifth year, the Seoul Metropolitan Government event has attracted more than 5.3 million visitors since 2022. The bridge and the surrounding Banpo Hangang Park host six standing zones, including a moonlight playground with inflatable slides, a global food court, an artisan market and a gallery of LED photo spots.

Each week brings a different headliner. Remaining dates include an outdoor cinema night on May 31 and a Seoul Beach setup on June 7.

The festival closes on June 14 with a sunset yoga session led by an instructor from the Indian Embassy. Admission is free, though some programs carry a fee.