Jinhae Gunhangje, Korea's signature spring festival, opens on the 27th. During the 10-day event, 360,000 cherry trees will bathe the city in pink, turning it into a "cherry blossom mecca" that draws 2 million visitors every year
Performances by popular singers such as Mister Trot's Kim Yong-bin and Kim Jae-joong and Roo'Ra are scheduled, along with an air show by the Air Force aerobatic team "Black Eagles" and a fireworks show.
Changwon City said on the 18th it will host Jinhae Gunhangje from Mar. 27 to Apr. 5 in the area around Jungwon Rotary in Jinhae District. Jinhae Gunhangje began in 1952 to commemorate the erection of the statue of Admiral Yi Sun-sin and a memorial service, and marks its 64th edition this year.
Jinhae is the country's largest cherry blossom city. Cherry trees planted along with the construction of a naval base during the Japanese colonial period spread throughout the city. Some were once cut down amid controversy over remnants of Japanese rule, but after being identified as the Jeju-native king cherry, they were replanted. Currently, about 360,000 cherry trees are rooted across the Jinhae area.
The opening ceremony will be held at 6 p.m. on the 27th at Jinhae Public Stadium. It will raise the curtain with Jinhae Military Band and Honor Guard Festival, the nation's only military tattoo festival. Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, the U.S. 8th Army, and overseas military bands will take part with performances. Day and night shows will continue on the 28th and 29th.
On the same day, the Starlight Festival will begin around Yeojwacheon. Lighting and installations will enhance the 1.5-kilometer cherry blossom tunnel for nighttime scenery. It will be free to view throughout the festival. A standard tree near Romance Bridge on Yeojwacheon is used as a benchmark to gauge the cherry blossom blooming time.
Top cherry blossom spots include the Inland Water Ecological Park, Yeojwacheon, Gyeonghwa Station, Jinhae Tower, and Jinhaeru. Jungwon Rotary is also worth a visit. Modern cultural relics are scattered through its alleys. The harmony of 100-year-old buildings and full-bloom cherry blossoms is superb.
Representative cherry blossom spots include Yeojwacheon and Gyeonghwa Station, the Inland Water Ecological Park, Jinhae Tower, and Jinhaeru. Jungwon Rotary draws tourists with scenery that blends modern architecture over 100 years old with cherry blossoms.
On Apr. 1, the Admiral Yi Sun-sin Victory Commemoration Maritime Fireworks Show will take place around Jinhaeru. During the same period, a "sentimental pojangmacha" will operate near Sokcheon Port, letting visitors enjoy both the cherry blossom path and the sea.
An air show by the Air Force aerobatic team Black Eagles is also scheduled. On Apr. 1 in the afternoon, they will perform aerobatics in the skies over the Naval Academy.
The lineup of singers to lift visitors' spirits is the strongest ever. From 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Apr. 3, and from 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. on the 4th and 5th, the Cherry Blossom Music Festival will be held at Jinhae Public Stadium.
The program is divided by date into genres such as trot, pop, and bands. The first day's trot concert will feature Kim Yong-bin, Son Bina, and Cheon Rok-dam. The following pop concert will feature Roo'Ra, Bolbbalgan4, So Chan-whee, and Young Turks Club, while the band concert is slated to include Kim Jae-joong, Nell, and Car, the garden.
In addition, military bases such as the Naval Academy, the Jinhae Base Command, and the U.S. Navy's Jinhae unit will be open to the public. Most will operate from Mar. 28 to Apr. 5, while the U.S. Navy unit will be open only on the 28th.
A Changwon City official said, "We will make thorough preparations so that tourists remember it as a city they want to visit again."