hankyoreh

A family strolls through fields of sunflowers at the Taebaek Sunflower Festival in Guwau Village, Gangwon Province, on July 24. (Kim Jung-hyo/The Hankyoreh)

The 18th annual Taebaek Sunflower Festival is currently underway in the Guwau Village of Taebaek, Gangwon Province. When the Hankyoreh paid a visit to the village on Sunday, festival-goers could be seen strolling through seas of yellow petals, enjoying the height of summer.

People walk through fields of sunflowers at the Taebaek Sunflower Festival in Guwau Village, Gangwon Province, on July 24. (Kim Jung-hyo/The Hankyoreh)

An entirely privately-organized event, the sunflower festival returns after a three-year hiatus on account of the COVID-19 pandemic. Nestled in the foothills of Mt. Gubong, the 66,000 square meters (16 acres) of sunflower fields in Guwau are filled with an estimated 1 million blossoms.

People stop to take photos with sunflowers at the Taebaek Sunflower Festival in Guwau Village, Gangwon Province, on July 24. (Kim Jung-hyo/The Hankyoreh)

The festival runs through Aug. 7. We’ve gathered some photos of the festival grounds here.

People walk through fields of sunflowers at the Taebaek Sunflower Festival in Guwau Village, Gangwon Province, on July 24. (Kim Jung-hyo/The Hankyoreh)

People walk through fields of sunflowers at the Taebaek Sunflower Festival in Guwau Village, Gangwon Province, on July 24. (Kim Jung-hyo/The Hankyoreh)

By Kim Jung-hyo, staff reporter

Please direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]