While bananas are typically a tropical plant, they are now bearing fruit naturally along the roadsides in a country with a temperate climate like South Korea. This phenomenon is considered unusual.
On July 29, Yonhap News Agency cited a warning from the Korea Meteorological Administration about a heat wave reaching up to 35 degrees Celsius, with the heat expected to last for two days, potentially causing nationwide damage.
Local residents excitedly capture the moment a banana tree bears fruit, a sight rarely seen in a temperate country like South Korea – (Photo: YONHAP)
Since mid-June, South Korea has continuously recorded national temperature records, signaling a hot summer with highs ranging from 31 to 35 degrees Celsius.
This may explain why, in the city of Wonju, Gangwon Province (South Korea), a decorative banana tree planted by the roadside unexpectedly bore fruit due to the record-breaking heat in recent weeks.
In reality, bananas are a fruit typical of tropical regions and are very difficult to grow, develop, and bear fruit in a temperate climate like South Korea.
In this temperate country, bananas are mainly cultivated as ornamental plants in parks for public viewing and research purposes.
To grow bananas, South Korean farmers must put in significant effort, and witnessing a bunch of bananas on a tree like this is a rare occurrence.
With advanced technology, farming techniques have improved, and some areas in central and northern South Korea have begun to cultivate bananas in greenhouses.
In greenhouses, banana plants require meticulous care to successfully flower and bear fruit.
In the 1970s, bananas were considered a fruit “reserved for the wealthy” because tropical fruits and agricultural products were not easily found in South Korea. Even today, tropical fruits such as bananas, mangoes, and dragon fruit must be imported from countries like Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines, and Mexico, and are sold at a high price.
Currently, in South Korean supermarkets, a 2.5 kg box of bananas is sold for an average price of about 10,000 won (nearly 180,000 VND).
