Spring flowers are forecast to bloom some two weeks late compared to last year.

According to the Korea Forest Service on Monday, flowers are expected to bloom mid-March on the southernmost island of Jeju, before expanding nationwide by early April.

Ginger plant flowers are projected to blossom on March 26, azalea on April 4, and cherry trees on April 6.

The state agency cited the protracted cold wave as the reason behind the delayed blossom.

The average temperature this winter season was minus one-point-eight degrees Celsius, down two-point-five degrees from last year.