Drenched in purple, South Korean islands draw tourists

A general view of the Purple Island in Shinan, South Korea, March 9, 2021. Picture taken March 9, 2021. REUTERS/Daewoung Kim

SHINAN, South Korea (Reuters) - Dressed all in purple, bent-over women held long rakes aloft as they walked in a line to a lavender field to carry out some pruning on an island in southwest South Korea.

Inspired by their native balloon flower, residents of the Banwol and Bakji Islands, known as the 'Purple Islands', have painted their houses, roads and bridges in shades of the hue, and planted purple flowers such as lavender and asters to transform their town into a tourist attraction.