Fireworks illuminate Seoul sky as cheers erupt below

At around 1 p.m. on Saturday, the riverside park near Yeouinaru Station in Yeongdeungpo District, western Seoul, was already packed with crowds for this year’s Seoul International Fireworks Festival as daytime temperatures settled at 29 degrees Celsius (84 degrees Fahrenheit), much more bearable than the record highs earlier in the summer.

The festival was held on Saturday from 1 p.m. to 10 p.m. this year, with the main shows running from 8 p.m. to 9:10 p.m. Attractions were also held on the eve of the show for the first time.

On Saturday afternoon, some visitors walked around with snacks from food trucks, while others spread picnic mats along the river, created shade with umbrellas and parasols and took naps as they waited.

Held annually at the Yeouido and Ichon Hangang parks, the Seoul International Fireworks Festival marked its 22nd edition this year. With about seven hours still to go before the main event, the riverside was already filled with families, friends and couples.

“I used to watch the fireworks festival live on YouTube every year, but I saw it in person for the first time last year and it was so beautiful,” said Lee Eun-gyeom, who traveled from Daejeon with a younger sibling. “I wanted to experience that feeling again this year, so I’ve been holding our spot since 2 a.m.”

Foreign tourists were also among those who managed to secure prime viewing spots for the fireworks.

A tourist from the United States said they came at 10 a.m. to take turns watching a spot that a friend saved in advance, adding that they heard two weeks ago that there would be a fireworks show and they were excited to see it in person.

Crowds also began gathering early in nearby areas for a view of the show.

Kim Ji-hye left Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi, early Saturday morning and secured a spot on the fourth-floor rooftop of Noryangjin Fisheries Wholesale Market in Dongjak District, southern Seoul.

“When I was pregnant last year, I watched the fireworks festival here with my husband, and this year we’re here with our 5-month-old baby,” Kim said. “The earliest people arrived at 11 a.m. Friday.”

As of 5 p.m., about 300 people had also gathered beneath the Hangang Bridge in Yongsan District, central Seoul, to watch the fireworks.

“The sun is strong today, and I knew we’d be outside for a long time, so I brought a picnic mat and sunscreen,” said Lee Yun-ho, who came with friends from Gangdong District, eastern Seoul. “It took more than an hour and a half to get here, but it’s my first time seeing the fireworks festival in person, so I’m excited.”

When the main event began at 8 p.m., bursts of colorful fireworks shot across the night sky with thunderous booms.

Passengers aboard a Line No. 1 subway train traveling from Yongsan Station toward Noryangjin Station, which crosses over the river, peered out the windows and exclaimed, “It’s so spectacular!” and “We were lucky to catch such an amazing sight!”

Some companies based in Yeouido opened their buildings to employees’ families and acquaintances so they could watch the festival.

“We can’t hear the music from the festival grounds, but I’m happy that we can enjoy the fireworks in a more comfortable setting,” said Jeong Uk-jo, who watched the fireworks from an acquaintance’s office building.

Festival authorities stepped up safety measures from last year in anticipation of massive crowds.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government operated a comprehensive safety headquarters from Friday through Saturday in cooperation with festival organizer Hanwha Group, the Seoul Metropolitan Fire and Disaster Headquarters, the Yeongdeungpo, Yongsan, Dongjak and Mapo district offices and the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency. About 6,800 personnel were deployed around the festival grounds for crowd management, road closures and other safety measures.

Police also increased personnel and crowd-management equipment.

“Based on the organizer’s estimate, about 100,000 people attended the eve event, and around 530,000 are expected to gather in the Mapo and Yeouido areas today,” Yoo Gye-jun of the security division at Yeongdeungpo Police Station said on Saturday. “There were no reports of explosives at the site yesterday, but as a precaution, we will conduct additional searches using elevated surveillance equipment and police dogs.”

Competition for prime viewing spots was even fiercer than last year as this year’s festival included an eve event for the first time.

As early as three days before the main event, picnic mats began appearing along the riverside route from Mapo Bridge toward Wonhyo Bridge as people attempted to stake out spots in advance. A post also appeared on an online secondhand marketplace offering to hand over a picnic-mat spot for 200,000 won ($150), with the seller saying they would sleep outdoors to hold the space.

“I was dumbfounded to see picnic mats lined up along the pedestrian path on the north side of the Han River that I normally use,” said a person surnamed Park. “Some people are staking out spots days before the main festival, and it seems like there needs to be some regulation.”

BY NOH YU-RIM, LEE GYU-RIM [kim.jiye@joongang.co.kr]