Ginkgo trees, beautiful in the fall season with their bright golden hues, are both loved and hated for the picturesque sight they provide and the rancid stench emitting from its rotting berries.

A mistaken step on the ginkgo berries leaves the smell of stinky socks throughout the day.

In Seoul, talks are being thrown around to switch the female trees to male trees. But as the smelly period of the fallen berries only goes on for about a month, some environmentalists argue it is unreasonable to get rid of the existing trees.



By Park Hyun-koo (phko@heraldcorp.com)