Taking a photo of a changing tree and looking up a predicted peak-foliage date are different actions, even when they are offered by the same operator. The Korea National Arboretum announced an October 8–November 21, 2026 run of its Danpung Yeonga citizen-science project, and its operator's ongoing-events list displayed a 2026 event card. Readers should not treat the event details, mobile event entry, photo-observation form and forecast lookup as a single registration screen.

AI-generated image: Close view of colorful autumn leaves

Four separate functions

  1. Event listing and details. The ongoing-events card gives the 2026 dates and points to a mobile/QR route. The detailed event information is partly presented as images; a short desktop-menu label alone does not establish whether entries have opened.
  2. Mobile event entry. The mobile event page says to click its separate “Danpung Yeonga entry” control. Public client code routes unauthenticated visitors to login and can open a phone/SMS-verification step afterward. We did not log in, receive an SMS, or verify a successful entry. We also found no confirmed separate entry deadline or remaining-capacity figure.
  3. Observation records. A different mobile form asks users to select a plant and its condition and provide whole-plant and leaf photos. The event poster says uploading an observation automatically completes participation. Anonymous pages and client code do not prove how that statement relates to the separate entry/SMS path or whether a saved record is linked to the event on the back end. A visible form is not proof of a successful upload.
  4. Peak-foliage lookup. The location-based lookup provides a QRF statistical prediction based on weather data. The operator says actual observations may differ and presents the forecast for reference. Looking up a date is neither an event entry nor a photo submission.

AI-generated image: Camera and travel mug on a leaf-strewn bench

Last year's input versus this year's plan

According to the government release, 12,211 citizen-observation photos collected last year were used as a basis for the lookup service released this year. That number is not a count of this year's contributors or uploads. The release describes using data to be collected this year to analyze foliage by region and tree species, and changes in plant seasons, as a plan. It does not promise that one newly uploaded photo immediately changes today's map or prediction.

Photo use and republication rights

The operator says that citizen observers and the Korea National Arboretum jointly hold copyright in submitted observation data and that the data may be used for research, statistics, education and related services. Its mobile joining screen requests consent for using observation photos for research or the public interest. Neither notice gives an unrelated blog permission to copy or commercially reuse event artwork or citizen photos. Event artwork and citizen-submitted photos are not republished as this article’s images.

The public phone-number modal separately states 보관기간 : 2026. 12. 05일까지(경품 지급시 까지) (retention until December 5, 2026, until prize delivery) and 정보파기 : 2026. 12. 10일(모든 참여자 전화번호 일괄 삭제) (deletion on December 10, 2026, for all participants' phone numbers). We preserve both dated statements without inventing an explanation for the gap or claiming deletion has happened. Check the operator's current privacy notice before entering personal information.

What was checked: the government PDF, event card and image-based details, the mobile event and observation pages, the forecast page and publicly accessible client code. Actual entry, SMS delivery, photo submission, prize eligibility and back-end linkage were not tested. New conditions on the official pages should take precedence.

About the Author

Life Mokcha separates an official announcement from the operator's distinct screens so readers know what to check next. This article does not guarantee a successful entry or forecast accuracy.

References