"Go on This Day to See the Fall Foliage"... Seoul Metro Area in Late October, Jeju in Mid-November

Korea Tourism Organization and Korea National Arboretum Release "2026 Fall Foliage Map"
Uses Data from 829 Citizen Scientists... Recommends 36 Destinations Nationwide

This fall, foliage is expected to peak in the Seoul metropolitan and Gangwon regions in late October, while the Gyeongsang and Jeolla regions are expected to begin seeing vibrant colors in early to mid-November.

The "2026 Autumn Foliage Map," released by the Korea Tourism Organization and the National Arboretum under the Korea Forest Service. Peak fall foliage is expected from late October in the Seoul metropolitan area and Gangwon Province, and from early to mid-November in Gyeongsang and Jeolla provinces. The forecast used data from the "Plant Phenology Observation Project," which involved 829 citizen scientists. Korea Tourism Organization

On October 8, the Korea Tourism Organization, together with the Korea National Arboretum under the Korea Forest Service, released the "2026 Fall Foliage Map," which shows when foliage is expected to peak in regions across the country and recommends places to visit.

According to the map, at the Korea National Arboretum in the Seoul metropolitan region, foliage is expected to peak on October 29 for maples, October 31 for ginkgo trees, and November 2 for oaks. At the Gangwon State Arboretum, the peak dates are expected to be October 27 for ginkgo trees, October 28 for maples, and October 31 for oaks.

In the Chungcheong region, maples at Midongsan Arboretum are expected to peak relatively early, on October 27. At Geumgang Arboretum, foliage is forecast to peak on November 2 for maples, November 3 for oaks, and November 4 for ginkgo trees.

In the southern regions, peak foliage will continue into November. At Daegu Arboretum, foliage is expected to peak on November 6 for maples, November 4 for ginkgo trees, and November 14 for oaks. At Gyeongsangnam-do Arboretum, maples are expected to peak on November 8 and oaks on November 16.

In the Jeolla region, foliage is expected to peak between November 1 and 4 at Daea Arboretum and between November 9 and 16 at Wando Arboretum, depending on the tree species. At Hallasan Arboretum on Jeju Island, ginkgo trees and oaks are expected to peak on November 16, while maples are expected to peak on November 19, making it one of the later peaks among the country's major observation sites.

The forecast drew on data from the Korea National Arboretum's citizen science program, the "Plant Phenology Observation Project." It predicted foliage timing by region and tree species based on observations made directly by 829 citizen scientists.

The Korea Tourism Organization also recommended 36 autumn travel destinations alongside the foliage map. They include Incheon Grand Park, Goseokjeong National Tourist Site in Cheorwon, Sapgyoho in Dangjin, Mungwang Reservoir in Goesan, Geochang Changpowon, Metaprovence in Damyang, and Ttarabi Oreum on Jeju Island.

A Korea Tourism Organization official said, "We wanted to provide more accurate and useful information for autumn travel by combining data collected with public participation and travel recommendations."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.