[Korea Travel Guide: Masan Gagopa Chrysanthemum Festival] Where Korea's Chrysanthemum Industry Was Born, Blooming by the Sea (대한민국 여행 가이드 - 마산가고파국화축제: 국화산업의 메카, 마산 바다에서 피어나는 사랑의 꽃)
[Intro] Long before chrysanthemums became a familiar autumn sight across Korea, it was the seaside district of Masan in what is now Changwon that pioneered the country's entire chrysanthemum industry. Since six local farming families began Korea's first commercial chrysanthemum cultivation in 1961, Masan has grown into a true "mecca" of Korean chrysanthemum production — responsible for 13% of the nation's cultivation area and tens of thousands of dollars in annual exports since becoming the first Korean region to export the flower to Japan in 1972. Now in its 26th year, the Masan Gagopa Chrysanthemum Festival celebrates this proud heritage along the scenic Masan coastline, inviting visitors under the touching slogan, "Let your flower of love bloom by the sea that loved chrysanthemums." Korea Insight brings you the complete guide to this fragrant autumn seaside celebration. [시작하며] 국화가 대한민국 가을의 익숙한 풍경이 되기 훨씬 전부터, 지금의 창원시에 속한 해안 도시 마산은 우리나라 국화산업 전체의 ...