Seoul (CNN) -- Amid the war of words and escalating threats emanating from north of the border, for many in South Korea the focus has been on the annual cherry blossom season. For South Koreans, the arrival of spring guarantees a few things, even in times when headlines echo the threats of conflict: hard-core hikers out in droves, fresh produce in the markets and trees up and down the peninsula blossoming into great swaths of soft pinks and yellows. Springtime is famed as cherry blossom season and greatly anticipated in a number of cities and towns across South Korea. Most notable among celebration cities is Jinhae, located a short bus ride outside of Busan along the southeast coast. Here, the annual Jinhae Cherry Blossom Festival commemorates the season's ephemeral beauty.
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More than one million flock to festival
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Jinhae has some 340,000 cherry trees
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Season ends soon, lasts longer further north
An estimated 340,000 cherry trees line @placeholder's streets, rivers and train tracks, and dot surrounding mountainsides.