Large crowds ring in New Year in Seoul

On Dec. 31, streets across major areas of Seoul were packed with people welcoming the Year of the Fire Horse. Crowds gathered not only at Bosingak Pavilion in Jongno, a popular site for the bell-ringing ceremony, but also around Jamsil and the Hongdae district. Citizens attending New Year celebrations, resumed after a two-year hiatus, marked 2026 with their own wishes for the year ahead.

By about 11:40 p.m., streets near Seokchon Lake in Songpa District were filled with people waiting for fireworks scheduled to begin at midnight. The sidewalks were so crowded that some pedestrians risked being pushed into the roadway. One couple, accompanied by a newborn, held their hands high to prevent the baby from bumping into others while moving through the throng.

Hongdae was also teeming with young revelers. At around 11 p.m., a crosswalk along Hongdae’s Art Street became a potentially dangerous mix of vehicles and pedestrians. According to Seoul’s real-time urban data, roughly 74,000 people had gathered in the Jamsil area that day, while around 76,000 were estimated near Hongdae to ring in the New Year.

About 30,000 people gathered at Bosingak Pavilion to watch the bell-ringing ceremony. As many stopped to take photos, pedestrian movement slowed in some areas, creating brief bottlenecks. Despite large crowds across Seoul, no major safety incidents were reported.

On the morning of Jan. 1, roughly 20,000 people gathered at Seongsan Ilchulbong in Jeju, while about 110,000 gathered in Jeongdongjin in Gangneung, Gangwon Province, to watch the first sunrise of the year. Local governments reported that approximately 300,000 people visited the Gangneung area, around 130,000 in Busan, including Haeundae Beach, and about 100,000 at Ganjeolgot in Ulsan. Nationwide, an estimated 1 million people visited sunrise spots to greet the year’s first sunrise.

With New Year events having been canceled last year due to the aftermath of the Jeju Air disaster in Muan, South Jeolla Province, and the Dec. 3 martial law crisis, citizens expressed heightened anticipation for this year’s celebrations. Gi Un-chan, 18, who traveled from Chungju in North Chungcheong Province to Jamsil, said he came to Seoul to mark his transition into adulthood in a special way and to create meaningful memories with friends. Yoo Myung-hwan, 18, who accompanied him, said his dream is to become a firefighter who rescues people in dangerous situations and contributes to a society where citizens feel safe. He said he would make a New Year’s wish to move closer to that goal.

Yoon Tae-joon, 34, and his wife, Choi Ju-won, 29, who were waiting for the bell-ringing ceremony at Bosingak, said they are in their second year of marriage and have resolved to try for a child in the New Year. They added that they faced personal hardships in 2025 and hoped for better things in 2026.


전남혁기자 forward@donga.co