[Anchor]

A total solar eclipse, where the moon completely blocks the sun, has been observed in Europe for the first time in 121 years. Millions of tourists flooded places across Europe, including Spain, where the most perfect spectacle unfolded.

Paris correspondent Kwon Yeongin reports.

[Reporter]

As even the last remaining speck of the sun disappears behind the moon, cheers and applause erupt.

At around 8:30 p.m. local time yesterday (the 12th), a total solar eclipse occurred in northern Spain, with the sun being completely blocked by the moon.

[Tomasz Czarnecki / Polish Tourist: It was a truly amazing experience. It was worth driving 2,700 km all the way from here from Poland. Because I could see the eclipse firsthand here. It was a really wonderful experience.]

In particular, as a total solar eclipse arrived in Spain for the first time in 121 years since 1905, more than 5 million tourists flocked to the country.

[Patty Jefferson / American Tourist: Coming from Texas, I couldn't imagine a better view than here on the Spanish beach.]

The most complete total solar eclipses took place in the regions of Spain and Iceland, while other European areas such as France and the United Kingdom experienced eclipses where over 90% of the sun was blocked, causing excitement throughout Europe.

In Paris as well, with public interest in the total solar eclipse growing, these special glasses that allow people to look directly at the sun have become nearly impossible to find on the market.

[Michael / Paris Citizen: There was no stock of glasses, so everyone had a really hard time trying to get them. Masks... No. An eyewear craze happened. So everyone was baffled.]

Spectacular scenes were produced against major tourist attractions such as the Eiffel Tower in Paris and Big Ben in London. Such an eclipse will not be seen again in the UK and France until after 2080.

[Christina Danielski / Swedish Tourist: It was truly fantastic. The sun was so beautiful. I've really never seen a scene like this. It was a truly astonishing sight.]

Concerns had been raised about potential limitations on solar power generation due to this total solar eclipse in Europe, which has recently been suffering from power shortages, but it was tallied that the actual impact was not significant.

(Video contribution: Kim Si-nae, Video editing: Cho Mu-hwan)