"1 Million People Expected to Flock"... High Alert Ahead of 4–5 Event

The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced that it will activate a comprehensive traffic, safety, and convenience plan in preparation for the Seoul World Fireworks Festival 2026, scheduled to take place on September 4 and 5.

As a large-scale event attracting 1 million people every year, the city plans to deploy a total of 6,800 personnel and establish a meticulous response system with related organizations.

The city will set up a joint "Comprehensive Safety Headquarters" involving relevant organizations including the fire department, autonomous districts, police, and Hanwha Group.

The headquarters will oversee responses to crowd control, traffic conditions, and unexpected situations at the event venue.

Fire engines, ambulances, and medical personnel will be deployed to the venue, and a total of six operational control rooms combined with emergency medical stations will be operated in the Yeouido and Ichon areas.

A total of 45 patrol boats will also be deployed to manage safety on the Han River.

Ahead of the event, joint inspections will be conducted on September 3 and 4 with the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, police, fire department, and autonomous districts to examine crowd management plans and the safety status of facilities.

Hanwha Group will monitor crowd density in real-time using closed-circuit televisions (CCTVs) installed across different zones of the venue.

The official festival app, "Orange Play," will also feature a function to request emergency rescue.

On September 5, when the main event takes place, Wonhyo Bridge will be completely closed from 9:00 AM until 3:00 AM the following day, and Yeouidong-ro (from the southern end of Mapo Bridge to the front of the 63 Building) will be fully blocked from 3:00 PM to midnight.

Twenty-four bus routes passing through these sections will also be temporarily detoured.

Between 4:00 PM and 9:20 PM, 16 bus routes passing through four stops on Han River Bridge will also pass without stopping.

Instead, 26 bus routes passing through the Yeouido Transfer Center and Yeouido Station will be dispatched intensively from 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM, when crowds flock to the venue, and from 10:00 PM to 11:00 PM, when crowds disperse after the festival ends.

To cope with the influx of passengers before and after the event, subway Line 5 will operate 19 additional trips, and Line 9 will run 65 additional trips.

Twenty-one stations near the venue will be staffed with 3 to 5 times more safety personnel than usual to maintain order on platforms and at exits and to assist passenger movement.

Yeouinaru Station on Line 5, the closest station to the venue, may also see trains bypass the station without stopping or exits closed during periods of heavy congestion.

The 120 Dasan Call Center will also operate a 24-hour consultation response system for the festival, providing prompt guidance ranging from traffic controls to public transportation operation information.

Rental and return services for public bicycles (Ttareungi), private electric bicycles, and personal mobility devices (PM) will be suspended from 8:00 AM on September 4 to 7:00 AM on September 6 in the Yeouido and Ichon areas where spectators will gather.

Bicycle entry into high-density crowd areas will also be restricted on the day of the event.

Hangang River Buses plan to cancel or shorten operations from September 3 to 5 for water safety.

As the Seogang Bridge to Han River Bridge section will also be sequentially controlled by time slots, the city urged water leisure companies and others to check the control times and sections in advance.

Illegal parking and stopping will also be jointly cracked down on in areas where the festival can be viewed, such as roads and bridges near Ichon, Noryangjin, and Yeouido.

Vehicles that do not comply with on-site guidance may be towed.

Information such as public transportation, road controls, and detour routes can be checked starting a week before the event via the Seoul Transport Operation and Information Service (TOPIS) website (topis.seoul.go.kr), Twitter, and variable message signs (VMS).

On the day of the event, CCTVs and drones will be utilized to check and guide traffic conditions and bus detour statuses around the venue in real-time.

To ensure a pleasant festival viewing experience, 94 temporary restrooms and various garbage collection facilities will be additionally installed at Yeouido and Ichon Hangang Parks.

An official food truck zone will be operated in the plaza in front of the Yeouido World Moonlight Plaza.

The city plans to pre-screen hygiene and prices and intensively crack down on disorderly commercial activities such as illegal street vendors.

Hanwha Group will operate two general information centers and six operational control rooms at the Yeouido venue to assist with restroom location guidance, emergency medical services, finding lost children, and accepting lost and found items.

After the event, about 1,200 people, including a volunteer corps of Hanwha executives and employees, will clean up around the venue.

To prepare for air quality deterioration caused by fireworks, the city explained that it plans to guide visitors on "Citizen Action Rules for High-Concentration Fine Dust" before the event and deploy mobile measurement vehicles to measure concentrations of fine dust and pollutants.

In addition, Yeongdeungpo-gu will form an administrative support headquarters led by the deputy mayor to engage in traffic and safety management alongside the city.

Personnel will be deployed to major bases such as Seonyu-do Park, Dangsan Station, Singil Station, and the Yeouido floodgates to manage crowds.

The Yeouidong Community Service Center restroom will be kept open constantly, and cleaning vehicles and personnel will be deployed after the festival to complete nighttime street cleaning and garbage collection.

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.