It's known as one of the earliest messengers of spring in South Korea: the yellow freesia. <br />While almost all of these flowers used to be imported just ten years ago, nearly 60-percent are now grown here in South Korea.<br />Lee Seung-jae reports. <br />Even before the forsythia and the azalea,... this is the flower that truly signals the start of spring.... It's the yellow freesia flower.<br />It's a flower that's popular among students and their families during the graduation season in South Korea.<br /><br />There are a lot of people looking for freesia these days. It's mostly because it's graduation season and the flower's scent signals the start of spring.<br /><br />However, just ten years ago, all freesia flowers in South Korea were imported. <br />With most coming all the way from the Netherlands, prices used to be quite high.<br />Now, thanks to the development of domestic varieties,... the amount of freesia grown domestically has risen to nearly 60 percent.<br />Known as 'gold rich', the flowers' popularity in Korea has never been so high.<br /><br />The color is more beautiful than those from overseas. They are very popular because the flowers are big and thick.<br /><br />The cultivation period of domestic freesia is shorter than other varieties by about ten days.<br />With the shorter cultivation period,... Korea's Rural Development Administration hopes to achieve a domestic penetration rate of 80 percent in the near future.<br />Lee Seung-jae, Arirang News. <br />
