[News Today] YANGJU FLOWER FESTIVAL UNDERWAY

[LEAD]
Fall is here, and so are the flower festivals across the nation. In Yangju City, northern Gyeonggi Province, the landscape is vibrant with over twenty varieties of flowers in bloom. Not only are these pretty in colors, but these festivals also boosts the local economy and fosters community spirit among residents.

[REPORT]
Globe amaranths are in full bloom in a 130,000 square-meter field. Visitors walk among the cheonilhong flowers and enjoy the fall season.

Lee Hyeon-suk/ Yangju resident
I came last year and this year. I think this year's flowers look prettier.

Jo Ha-yeon, Seok Ji-ah/ Visitors
I think the pink muhly and globe amaranth were the prettiest.

The Yangju Cheonilhong Festival, marking its sixth year, is Yangju's best-known tourist attraction.

The event first started at an interactive farm. Before long, word of mouth turned it into a flower festival drawing huge crowds every year.

Park Hee-jeong, Hwang Yun-ah/ Gwacheon residents
I have trouble walking but my friends asked me to come. I'm glad I did. It's nice coming here with my friends whom I haven't seen for months.

Kang Soo-hyun/ Yangju Mayor
There are 23 types of flowers including globe amaranth. You'll miss them after Oct. 20, so come by then and create memories with loved ones.

Although the flowers look beautiful, preparations for this year's festival were particularly difficult.

Organizers couldn't work during the day because of the prolonged heat wave, so they had to tend to the flowers early in the morning. Frequent rain was also an issue.

Lee So-yeong/ Yangju Interactive Farm
It was hot even during rain, so the flowers weren't getting their color. We had a hard time trying to get the flowers' colors.

The festival has now become the most iconic flower festival in northern Gyeonggi-do Province.

At this year's festival, the residents of 12 towns and villages in Yangju showed their pride in their hometown by participating in a parade that stretched from Haneulmul Park in Goeup to the festival venue in Nari Park.