Cheongju's heart-shaped street trees win national award — but not everyone is charmed

A street lined with heart-shaped trees in Cheongju has been named one of the country's top street tree management cases by the Korea Forest Service, drawing sharply divided reactions from the public.

Cheongju said Tuesday the boulevard placed second nationwide and received an excellence award in the Korea Forest Service's "Top 5 Street Tree Management" competition, the results of which were announced that day.

The heart-shaped street tree boulevard stretches 350 meters along a road near the city hall's first temporary building.

In March last year, the city spent 14 million won ($10,100) to contract a landscaping firm to trim 41 ginkgo trees into heart shapes, creating an eye-catching streetscape.

The city said it opted for heart shapes instead of the circular or rectangular forms tried by other local governments, adding that while the approach costs more, residents have responded positively.

The boulevard drew attention as an urban landmark through word of mouth, with the distinctive sight of large hearts perched atop tree trunks spreading across social media.

Posts on social media shared photos and videos under captions such as "Cheongju has got it — total sense," using a newly coined slang term praising the city's flair.

But some pushed back, with comments calling the pruning excessive — "too artificial," "not pretty, just bizarre," and "the trees look pitiful."

The Cheongju-North Chungcheong Province Environmental Movement Alliance also raised concerns, saying that "even if the street trees are being used to enhance the urban landscape, cutting them down to the trunk to make heart shapes goes too far," and that "severe pruning harms not only the trees but also residents."

The city maintained that such pruning does not strain ginkgo trees given the species' characteristics. A city official said ginkgo trees are "a relatively hardy species that can withstand pruning without significant harm to their growth," while adding that "we do understand the criticism from environmental groups."