My foreign friend Anna heard "Seoraksan's autumn leaves are at their peak" on the news and rushed there on Saturday morning. But she said the road at the foot of the mountain was still green. Minsu, a neighbor who saw the same news, stayed home. Who was wrong? Neither of them was wrong. ## Same Words, Different Pictures Anna understood "peak" to mean "the whole mountain is red." Minsu understood it as an agreed-upon number. In Korea, the "first foliage" is the day when about 20% of the whole mountain has changed color, and the "peak" is the day when about 80% has. So even at peak, not all the leaves are red. Minsu thought, "If it's peak, it'll be over soon. It'll probably be crowded on the weekend, too," so he decided to go on a weekday. It's because she knows autumn leaves won't wait around for long. ## The mountain changes color from the top down There's a reason Anna looked at the green, too. When temperatures drop, the autumn colors move down from the high places to the low ones. Even on the same mountain, the dates at the summit and at the entrance are different. So the "peak" the news talks about is a number that lumps the whole mountain together. ## Here's how to check You can find autumn foliage information on the websites of the Korea Forest Service or the Korea National Park Service. The dates change every year, so be sure to check before you go. When the first foliage reports come out, start preparing, and go the week the peak is announced. If possible, weekdays are best.