D-1: Seoul outlines safety plans for grand fireworks festival

Ahead of the Seoul International Fireworks Festival, anticipated to draw around 1 million spectators this Saturday, both the government and the city of Seoul have announced extensive safety measures to ensure crowd control and public safety.

The annual Seoul International Fireworks Festival, hosted by Hanwha Group, will take place over the Han River near Yeouido and Ichon Hangang Park.

Marking its 20th edition, the event will feature stunning displays by participants from Korea, the US, and Japan. The festivities will kick off at 1 p.m. with various promotional events near Yeouido Hangang Park, and the fireworks show is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m., lasting around 90 minutes.

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo on Friday directed government agencies to enhance crowd control by setting up emergency contact systems, separating entrances and exits, and installing safety barriers.

Han also stressed the need for additional safety measures in high-risk areas like slopes and waterfronts and urged preparations for fire prevention. Han further called for systems to manage post-event public transportation and ensure emergency response readiness for potential medical incidents.

On Wednesday, the Seoul Metropolitan Government also announced a set of safety measures to prevent overcrowding during Saturday’s fireworks festival.

Up to 288 safety personnel will be deployed to 16 subway stations near the festival site, including Line No. 5’s Yeouinaru Station -- more than four times the usual number of personnel.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government added that changes will be made to public transportation routes and schedules due to the event. As Yeouidong-ro, which connects the southern part of Mapo Bridge to 63 Building in Yeouido, western Seoul, will be closed from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday, 19 bus routes that use the bridge will be rerouted.

From 8 p.m. to 10 p.m., the number of buses that stop near the festival site, such as Yeouido Transfer Center, Yeouido Station and Yeouinaru Station, will increase to help visitors leave on public transportation.

From 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday, 14 bus routes passing Hangang Bridge will not stop at Nodeul Island in Yongsan-gu, central Seoul, and pedestrian entry to the island will be partially restricted from 4 p.m. on Friday to 10 p.m. on Saturday.

Subways that run past stations on Line No. 5 may skip Yeouinaru Station if safety personnel deem the platform has become too congested. After the fireworks, the exits at Yeouinaru Station may be blocked, and visitors may be rerouted to subway stations nearby, such as Yeouido, Mapo or Saetgang.

Yeouidong-ro, which connects the southern part of Mapo Bridge to the 63 Building in Yeouido, western Seoul, will be closed from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday. Pedestrians will also be restricted from entering Wonhyo Bridge toward Yeouido from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday and from Friday to Sunday toward Yongsan.

Between Friday and Saturday ahead of the festival, the city government will conduct a joint inspection with the Ministry of Interior and Safety, as well as the police and fire agencies and district offices to make sure all safety precaution measures are properly in place.

Information centers, ambulances, fire trucks and medical personnel will also be deployed to the venue site. To minimize waste, the city government added that extra trash cans will be placed near the event site, and around 1,200 people, including volunteers from Hanwha, will help to clean the site after the event.

In addition to such safety measures, the city government added that it will introduce a system that monitors both the security camera footage and runs drones near the event site to quickly respond to possible traffic accidents.

Security cameras placed near roads will help personnel stationed in traffic situation rooms monitor the traffic flow in surrounding areas to determine what the traffic status is like in terms of its congestion. Traffic information will then be delivered to the safety personnel, who will then be instructed on how they should conduct traffic control and reroute vehicles.

While security camera footage is only focused on specific roads and highways, drones, on the other hand, will deliver real-time video footage of other neighboring roads nearby, to help safety personnel effectively handle traffic congestion.