DAEJEON — As autumn deepens, arboretums and botanical gardens across South Korea are drawing visitors with turning leaves and seasonal blooms.
The Korea Forest Service has recommended arboretums and botanical gardens where visitors can enjoy autumn foliage, fall flowers and cultural events together, selecting them from this year's "Top 10 Arboretums to Visit in 2026."
Autumn at an arboretum is a season for trees taking on their own colors, ripening fruit and plants preparing for winter. Visitors can walk forest trails at an unhurried pace to take in the changing season, along with festivals, exhibitions and hands-on programs.
Hantaek Botanical Garden in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, is holding its Wild Chrysanthemum and Foliage Festival through Nov. 8. Every Saturday during the festival, a plant interpretation program called "Time of Foliage" lets visitors walk the foliage trail with a gardener.
Chollipo Arboretum in Taean, South Chungcheong Province, is running a range of autumn programs for the season, including a book fair and tours of gardens normally closed to the public. The outdoor book fair, the "2026 Chollipo Book Harvest," runs from Oct. 24 to 25. Now in its third year, the event takes its Korean name from "baseum," a South Chungcheong dialect word for harvest, carrying the idea of reaping good books along with the autumn crop.
About 50 authors and publishers from across the country are taking part, presenting cultural programs that bring together books and nature. Book talks feature novelist Sung Hae-na, known for the novels "Honmono" and "In-bin," and the singer-songwriter and author Yozoh, who wrote the essay collection "A Job That Loves Failure."
Any arboretum visitor can attend the book fair, offering a different kind of pleasure in meeting books and authors while strolling an autumn garden. Following the book fair, an autumn walk program runs through Nov. 22. During that period, the "Secret Forest," normally closed to the general public, is open on a limited basis.
At Gicheongsan Botanical Garden in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province, visitors can take in autumn colors from trees including evergreen spicebush, Chinese elm and Japanese maple. Visitors who come around Oct. 30 can walk forest trails with the foliage at its peak. Those who book a forest interpretation program in advance can also hear about the ecology of some 2,000 species of plants native to Korea.
Shingu College Botanical Garden in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, is welcoming visitors with a chrysanthemum exhibition and a range of autumn events. The exhibition "Chrysanthemums, From Fields to Gardens" and a chrysanthemum photo zone run through Nov. 1, and from late October the garden is presenting exhibitions and hands-on programs including "Chrysanthemum Bonsai With Volunteers" and an exhibition of flower illustrations.
Ilwol Arboretum in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, is holding an Autumn Flower Festival on Oct. 24, featuring a garden concert, a special flower exhibition, woodworking and pressed-flower activities and a flea market. Through Oct. 31, the arboretum stays open until 9 p.m. every Friday and Saturday under its "Night Light Garden" program, allowing evening walks among autumn flowers.
The Korea Forest Service is providing a map forecasting peak foliage at 30 private and school arboretums nationwide to help visitors plan autumn outings. Visitors can set their schedules by referring to the forecast for each arboretum, though actual foliage timing may vary with weather conditions.
"In autumn, arboretums across the country transform into spaces where foliage, flowers and fruit come together to convey the abundance of the season," said Choi Hyun-soo, director of the Korea Forest Service's arboretum and garden policy division. "We hope visitors will come with family, friends or partners to enjoy autumn flowers, walk the forest trails and take part in the cultural events."
