Korea is now between the end of autumn and the beginning of winter. The mercury in Seoul has already dropped once or twice below zero. The day of Soseol, one of the 24 solar terms, which literally means "minor snow" (소설, 小雪), will fall on Nov. 22. The name Soseol is derived from a belief that Korea will have its first snow of the year on that day.

However, today, the red and yellow leaves still hang desperately to the branches on trees at the National Museum of Korea, whose grounds have many visitors every day. Magpies, turtledoves and sparrows are busy hunting for food, coming and going everywhere, as the trees are decorated with the red, yellow and orange of beautifully colored leaves. Prepping the trees for the cold, caretakers and gardeners prep the trees for the upcoming winter with straw coverings on the roots and trunks.

The Korea Meteorological Administration has predicted that temperatures in December will be the same as usual. The weather agency also said that it will be similar or warmer in January 2017.

By Jeon Han, Yoon Sojung
Korea.net Staff Writers
Photos: Jeon Han
hanjeon@korea.kr