'Eventful' 2023 Adieu!~~~ 'Cheongryong Energy' for a 'Bright' 2024!

From 7 AM on January 1, 2024, Autonomous Districts Including Jung-gu, Seongdong, and Jungnang-gu in Seoul Hold New Year's Sunrise Events at Selected Local Spots to Wish for Residents' Happiness

Yongmasan Sunrise

Eventful and tumultuous. Every year, the reflections on the passing year are similar.

Welcoming the new year 2024 (Gapjin year), sunrise events are held across Seoul, hoping to energetically embrace the energy of the Eastern guardian deity, the 'Cheongryong' (Blue Dragon).

According to the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute, the sunrise on New Year's Day 2024 is expected at 7:47 AM.

Jungnang-gu (District Mayor Ryu Kyung-gi) will hold a meaningful time on January 1st at 7 AM at Yongmasan 5boru, where the sun rises first in Seoul, to enjoy the first sunrise of the year and pray for the health and happiness of its residents.

Yongmasan is a mountain located at the border of Myeonmok-dong, Gwangjin-gu, and Guri City, with the Seoul Dulle-gil and Jungnang Dulle-gil trails, making it a popular spot for residents throughout the four seasons. Among them, 'Yongmasan 5boru' offers a panoramic view connecting Mangusan to Achasan and is noted as a sunrise spot where the sun rises first in Seoul.

Seongdong-gu (District Mayor Jung Won-oh) will also hold the '2024 Eungbongsan Sunrise Festival' at 7 AM at the Eungbongsan Octagonal Pavilion. Seongdong-gu prepared the '2024 Sunrise Festival' to pray for the wishes of the new year and the health and happiness of its residents. This sunrise event, held at the Eungbongsan Octagonal Pavilion overlooking the Han River and Seoul Forest in the eastern part of Seoul, features a variety of programs to welcome the new year. Starting with a lively pungmul troupe street parade to energize the new year's morning, followed by exchanging New Year's greetings, a large drum performance, and a congratulatory performance by a traditional Korean music band. Especially, to celebrate the Year of the Blue Dragon, there will be an event where participants write their wishes on wish papers and place them into a Yeouiju (dragon pearl), which the Blue Dragon then carries up to the sky.

Dongdaemun-gu (District Mayor Lee Pil-hyung) will hold the '2024 Baebongsan Sunrise Event' at 7 AM at the summit park of Baebongsan in Jeonnong-dong. The event includes New Year's bell ringing, congratulatory performances, sharing of rice cake soup, and a New Year's wish tree event.

Songpa-gu (District Mayor Seo Gang-seok) will host the '2024 New Year's Celebration' with citizens from 6:30 AM at Mangwolbong of Mongchontoseong in Olympic Park. Mangwolbong in Olympic Park is a peak with an open ridge where visitors can watch the sunrise, attracting about 10,000 visitors every year for the year-end and New Year's celebrations, making it a famous urban sunrise spot. The '2024 New Year's Celebration' held here will operate for two hours from 6:30 AM, divided into a performance stage and experience booths. Despite the cold winter dawn, a rich program is prepared, including cultural and artistic performances such as pungmul, vocal music, and celebratory songs, as well as various experience booths where visitors can pray for their New Year's wishes.

Park Gang-su, Mayor of Mapo District, is riding a boat toward North Korea ahead of the New Year's sunrise event last year.

Mapo-gu (District Mayor Park Kang-soo) will hold the '2024 Sky Park Sunrise Festival' at 7 AM at Sky Park, a famous sunrise spot in Seoul. Mapo-gu aims to create a meaningful occasion to watch the first sunrise of the year with residents, pledging a hopeful start and praying for the health and happiness of its 370,000 residents.

The '2024 Sky Park Sunrise Festival' will begin energetically at 7 AM with a large drum performance by the 'Noldang Gapseo' performance team.

Yangcheon-gu (District Mayor Lee Ki-jae) will hold a variety of cultural performances and side events at Yongwangsan Neighborhood Park and Yongwangjeong at 7 AM on January 1st, including drone banners, pungmul troupe street parades, popera congratulatory performances, large drum performances, and sharing of rice cake soup. Additionally, after the New Year's wish paper event, the wishes will be exhibited in the first-floor lobby of the district office and burned together with a Daljip (moon house) during the Daeboreum festival in February.

Gangbuk-gu, Seoul (District Mayor Lee Soon-hee) will hold the 'Gangbuk Sunrise Event' at Buk Seoul Dream Forest on January 1st. The event is organized to welcome a hopeful new year, pray for the health and wishes of families on the first day of the year, and to reaffirm new resolutions for the development of Gangbuk with residents. It will take place at Cheongundapwon in Buk Seoul Dream Forest.

Guro-gu (District Mayor Moon Heon-il) will hold a pre-event from 7 AM for 30 minutes at the Jatjeol Spring Badminton Court, sharing warm tea. The main event will start at 7:30 AM at the summit of Maebongsan. After New Year's greetings from District Mayor Moon Heon-il, members of the National Assembly, and the chairman of the Guro District Council, poet Jo Gyu-nam, president of the Guro Literary Association, will recite a congratulatory poem.

Yeongdeungpo-gu (District Mayor Choi Ho-kwon) announced that it will take proactive safety measures to ensure that visitors watching the sunrise at Seonyugyo Bridge on the first dawn of the new year can do so safely.

Seonyugyo Bridge is recognized as a representative New Year's sunrise spot. As many visitors are expected again this year, the district is fully preparing safety measures for the visitors. First, the district will conduct a pre-inspection on-site with Yeongdeungpo Fire Station, Seonyudo Park Management Office, and related departments. They will carefully check for narrow or steep areas and ensure emergency vehicle access routes are secured to prevent crowd accidents, installing safety fences in various locations. Then, the Seonyugyo viewing area will be divided into pink, purple, and green zones, and the bridge will be controlled from 6 AM on January 1st. At the comprehensive control center under Seonyugyo Bridge, from 6:30 AM, wristbands matching the colors of the viewing zones will be distributed to the first 500 visitors on a first-come, first-served basis, guiding visitors to watch the sunrise in the zone corresponding to their wristband color. This is to prevent crowd concentration in one area. Visitors who do not receive wristbands can watch the sunrise at Yanghwa Hangang Park below Seonyugyo Bridge.