The night sky over the Han River was illuminated by brilliant fireworks on the evening of the 5th. The ‘Seoul International Fireworks Festival’ was held in the Yeouido Han River Park area, Yongsan-gu, Seoul. Approximately 1 million people, according to organizers’ estimates, gathered to enjoy the dazzling fireworks show on the autumn night.
Cheers erupted from the audience as the first fireworks burst into the sky after 8 p.m. Exclamations like “It’s so beautiful” and “Amazing” filled the air. Many spectators pulled out their phones to take photos and videos continuously. Some remarked, “It’s too beautiful, but none of it is captured in the pictures.”
The ‘Seoul International Fireworks Festival,’ hosted by Hanwha Group, featured performances by teams from South Korea, the United States, and the United Kingdom, with fireworks shows running from 8 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. The UK team earned strong applause from Korean audiences with a fireworks display synchronized to ‘Soda Pop,’ an insert song from the Netflix animation *KPop Demon Hunters*.
Yang Kyung-jin, 30, who came from Gwanak-gu, Seoul, attended the festival with her brother-in-law. Yang said, “It’s great to experience such a world-class fireworks festival by the Han River on a nice autumn day.” She added, “The fireworks falling from the sky were so pretty and moving.” Yang expressed her desire to return next year, saying, “It’s hard to see stars in Seoul, so I’m happy to have witnessed such a beautiful night sky.”
Song Hyun-jung, 23, a graduate student living in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, watched the festival with friends right in front of the riverside. Song said, “I’ve only seen it on videos before, but seeing it in person was surprisingly beautiful.” She added, “I was hesitant to come because I thought there would be too many people, but I’m glad I did.”
Chaos also occurred due to the massive crowd. Earlier in the day, police intervened as spectators tried to spread out mats on pedestrian paths in Yeouido Han River Park, leading to arguments between the audience and officers.
No major accidents were reported. According to fire authorities, no injury reports were received during the event.
From 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., Yeouinaru Station on Seoul Subway Line 5 operated without stopping. Vehicle traffic on the southern section of Mapo Bridge was fully restricted from 3 p.m. to midnight.
Event safety personnel and police planned to guide citizens leaving the festival to nearby subway stations, including Saetgang, Daebang, and Singil Stations, to disperse the crowd.
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