Why Seoul Smells Odd in Autumn: Ginkgo Fruit, and the 6 Tons a Day Songpa Shakes Down

The smell comes from female trees

Only female ginkgo trees bear fruit. When the pulp around the seed bursts and rots, it gives off fatty-acid compounds, and that is the smell. Residents say it is worst when you step on a fruit by accident.

Songpa: 6 tons a day from 150-200 trees

Songpa has more ginkgo street trees than any of Seoul's 25 districts. It began collecting in the last week of September, after Chuseok, and has scheduled 17 collection days this autumn. A day's work covers 150 to 200 trees and yields about 6 tons, roughly 600 bags of 10 kg. By simple arithmetic, that is over 100 tons.

Seoul and the districts field a task force every year, hanging nets under the trees before the fruit falls or shaking it loose with vibration harvesters. In a 2024 announcement the city said it works high-footfall areas first and gives the collected fruit, after heavy-metal and pesticide tests, to senior and welfare centres. If the fruit is a problem, you can report it to the Dasan Call Center (02-120) or the district parks office.

Female trees are down 18.5% in four years

Seoul's female ginkgo trees fell from 28,216 in 2021 to 22,982 last year. This year 10 of the 25 districts, including Gangnam, Gwangjin, Yongsan and Dobong, plan to replace 792 ginkgo trees.

Since 2011 the National Institute of Forest Science has sexed young trees by DNA, so new plantings are male. Seoul says swapping every existing female tree is hard on the budget. Experts say complaint counts should not be the only yardstick; foot traffic, fruit fall and cost should count too.

If you go for the golden leaves, check the pavement first

Seoul made the ginkgo its official tree in 1971, which is why a golden ginkgo over a palace wall at Gyeongbokgung looks so familiar.

If you are heading out for leaf photos, look at the ground before you step. The smell is at its worst when you tread on a fruit.