The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced that it will activate comprehensive transportation, safety, and convenience measures for the "Seoul World Fireworks Festival 2026 with Hanwha," scheduled for September 4 to 5.

As a large-scale event that attracts 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 "Comprehensive Safety Headquarters" in cooperation with related agencies, including the fire department, autonomous districts, police, and Hanwha Group.

The headquarters will oversee responses to crowds, 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 operation 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 management status of facilities.

Hanwha Group will monitor crowd density in real-time through CCTV cameras installed in each zone of the venue.

The festival's official app, "Orange Play," will also feature an emergency rescue request function.

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

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

From 4:00 PM to 9:20 PM, 16 bus routes passing through four stops on Hangang Bridge will also bypass the stops without stopping.

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

To prepare for the surge in passengers before and after the event, subway Line 5 will increase operations by 19 trips and Line 9 by 65 trips.

Safety personnel three to five times the usual number will be stationed at 21 stations near the venue to maintain order on platforms and at exits and assist passenger movement.

Yeouinaru Station on Line 5, the closest station to the venue, may also have trains bypass the station without stopping or have its exits closed in case 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.

In the Yeouido and Ichon areas where visitors will gather, rental and return services for "Ttareungi" public bicycles, 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.

Bicycle entry into crowded zones will also be restricted on the day of the event.

Han River buses plan to suspend or shorten operations from September 3 to 5 for water safety.

As the Seogang Bridge to Hangang Bridge section will also be sequentially controlled by time slot, the city has urged water leisure businesses and others to check the control times and sections in advance.

Illegal parking and stopping will be jointly cracked down upon in areas where people can view the festival, including roads and bridges near Ichon, Noryangjin, and Yeouido.

Vehicles that do not comply with on-site dispersal orders 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, CCTV and drones will be utilized to check and guide the traffic conditions around the venue and the status of bus detours in real-time.

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

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

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 operation rooms at the Yeouido venue to support restroom location guidance, emergency medical services, finding lost children, and accepting lost and found items.

After the event, about 1,200 people, including Hanwha executive and employee volunteer groups, 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 "citizens' behavioral guidelines for high-concentration particulate matter" prior to the event and deploy mobile measurement vehicles to measure concentrations of particulate matter and pollutants.

In addition, Yeongdeungpo-gu will form an administrative support headquarters headed by the deputy district mayor to carry out traffic and safety management alongside the city.

Personnel will be deployed to major bases such as Seonyu Island Park, Dangsan Station, Singil Station, and the Yeouido floodgate area to manage crowds.

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

(Photo: Yonhap News)