The essence of autumn arrives first through scent—the enduring aroma of history, transcending regions.
For instance, Gangnam-gu has the highest number of street trees in Seoul. Among them, ginkgo trees are the most numerous at 6,946, with 30% being female trees. Female trees drop fruit. The annual "bomb" of fruit amounts to 4 tons. A source from Gangnam-gu stated, "While we swiftly clean it up, budget and manpower limitations have led us to address the root cause. Since two years ago, we began replacing female ginkgo trees with male ones. This year alone, we removed 115 female ginkgo trees along Seolleung-ro and Iwon-ro and replaced them with male trees." This is a deodorization operation that blocks fruit formation at the source, eliminating the possibility of odor.
◇Are There No Ginkgo Fruits in Northern Seoul?
In Gangbuk-gu, there are zero female ginkgo trees among street trees. A source from the district office said, "We replaced all 1,053 female ginkgo trees along roadsides (excluding parks) with male trees. As ginkgo fruits disappeared from the streets, odor-related complaints vanished." The Seoul Metropolitan Government has been waging a full-scale campaign with district offices since August to resolve inconveniences caused by ginkgo fruits in autumn. Methods like "ginkgo harvesting," which collects fruits before they ripen and crush on the ground, are being employed. However, the most effective solution remains "rooting them out." Through budget support for such work, the number of female ginkgo trees in Seoul has steadily decreased from approximately 31,000 in 2016 to 25,127 last year.
The stench of ginkgo fruits is a nationwide issue. Last year, Gimhae City in Gyeongnam Province even changed its municipal tree from ginkgo to chaste tree. While fruits were often collected and donated to senior centers, many now refuse them due to concerns about pesticides and heavy metals, relegating the fruits to waste. This is why local governments nationwide are actively engaged in "female tree eradication." The most notable example is Daejeon, which planted 926 male trees this year, completely eliminating female ginkgo trees in Dong-gu and Jung-gu. Over the past three years, a total of 2,500 trees were replaced, achieving a 70% replacement rate citywide. A source from the city explained, "Since male and female ginkgo trees are indistinguishable by appearance, we mark trees that bore fruit the previous autumn with paint." Incheon’s Michuhol-gu also installed identification tags on female trees this year.
◇Why Does 'Misogyny' Come Up Here?
An absurd controversy erupted. In 2020, as complaints about "intolerable odor" and "dirty streets" flooded in every autumn, Manan-gu in Anyang City decided to take action. In May of that year, they attached "♀" tags to female trees. Unexpected backlash followed. Some women’s and environmental groups issued a statement opposing the move, calling it "stigmatization that labels female trees as harmful and to be avoided by associating them with odor and malice." They argued, "This policy reflects a lack of gender sensitivity, using symbolic markers to exclude and attack femininity, framing it as an object to be controlled and conquered. It publicly displays how public authority controls nature and reproduction."
"Trunk injections" also faced criticism. This method, used by many local governments to suppress fruit production or induce early fruit drop in female trees, was condemned. Women’s and environmental groups argued, "Should female trees be tormented with tags and injections just for being female?" They recommended, "If odor is a concern, deploy public workers during harvest season to collect fruits before they break open." While some dismissed this as "misogynistic hysteria," the district office removed all tags after the backlash, stating, "We respect the opinions."
◇Ginkgo Trees on the Operating Table
In Jeollanam-do Gwangyang City’s Usan Well-being Theme Park, a sign reads, "Ginkgo Tree Sex Change Surgery in Progress." Using grafting—a technique typically for plant breeding—they attached male branches to female trees to prevent fruit formation. A source from Gwangyang City said, "Complaints about fallen fruits near walking paths led us to graft male branches onto 26 female trees. The project was completed two years ago, and no fruits have grown since."
In the past, trees were planted indiscriminately. Since ginkgo trees take at least 15 years to reveal their sex after germination, it was a gamble. A bizarre legend from the *Sinjeung Dongguk Yeoji Seungnam* recounts that in the mid-Joseon period, Yun Tak (1472–1534), a former minister of education, planted two ginkgo trees in the courtyard of Sungkyunkwan. Symbolizing Confucius and Confucianism, they remain the university’s official tree. However, the rotting smell of annual fruits and the noise from cleaners became a nuisance. A frustrated scholar performed a ritual cursing the trees, after which they stopped bearing fruit. Now, such rituals are unnecessary.
After 30 years of research, the National Institute of Forest Science developed ‘Ireum No. 1,’ a fruitless ginkgo tree for urban use, and completed its variety protection registration last year. By collecting and propagating 39 diverse specimens, they identified a unique male tree that never bears fruit. They stated, "This is expected to resolve autumn odor issues. Its upward-growing form suits narrow urban spaces." Plans are underway to increase its population and distribute it nationwide. Seoul is also piloting grafting male branches onto female trees, experimenting with three near Jamsil Sports Complex. Time is critical, however, as tree cultivation is a decade-long endeavor.
◇Thankful… and Sorry
Despite annual chaos, ginkgo trees cannot be abandoned due to their exceptional functionality as street trees—air purification, fire resistance, and pest resilience. Replacement costs approximately 1 million Korean won per tree. Replacing 1,000 trees would cost 1 billion Korean won in taxes. Last year, Seongbuk-gu planned to cut down 221 female ginkgo trees and replace them with males. Residents protested. One complained, "This is not the time to waste money and effort cutting down mature trees under the pretext of odor. Car exhaust, cigarette smoke, and restaurant grease are more serious pollution sources." The project was halted.
Ideas like umbrella-shaped "fruit collection nets" are spreading to prevent fruits from falling. Young male trees planted to replace cut females take 20 years to function as proper street trees. Some question whether the odor issue justifies the financial and social costs of replacement. A source from Chuncheon City, Gangwon-do, said, "Ginkgo trees are massive, and replacing them requires altering sidewalks, making it financially unfeasible. It’s regrettable that people forget the year-round benefits trees provide and cut them down because they can’t tolerate 30 days of odor."
0 Komentar