Seoul City to Fully Support 'Armed Forces Day' Parade Again This Year

Joint Meeting of the Ministry of National Defense and Local Governments on the 20th
Inspection of Bridge Safety and Crowd Control Measures... Traffic Restrictions Announced

Seoul City will hold a joint inspection meeting with the Ministry of National Defense and autonomous districts to ensure the successful hosting of the 'Armed Forces Day' downtown parade and other commemorative events on the 1st of next month. Seoul City has approved the use of the main event venues, Gwanghwamun Square and Seoul Plaza, and decided to open the city hall space for participating soldiers.

At the meeting held on the 20th, chaired by Kim Sang-han, the First Deputy Mayor of Seoul, the cooperation system with related organizations will be reviewed.

The 75th anniversary of the founding of the armed forces and Armed Forces Day commemorative event is taking place on the afternoon of the 26th along Sejong-daero in Jung-gu, Seoul, where soldiers from unmanned system units are conducting a parade. Photo by Joint Press Corps

Seoul City has prepared support measures by sector, including holding working-level meetings with the Ministry of National Defense and other related organizations. First, to ensure the safe progress of the parade, on the 12th, Seoul City thoroughly reviewed the Ministry of National Defense's safety management plan through the Seoul City Safety Management Plan Review Committee and agreed on the condition of supplementing detailed measures for areas expected to be densely crowded.

Additionally, as numerous military heavy equipment such as tanks and self-propelled artillery will move from Seoul Airport to Gwanghwamun and then to Goyang City, the safety of bridge crossings including Hangang Bridge, Jeungsan Bridge, and Sacheon Bridge was reviewed together with external experts. Fifty-seven traffic delineators that could obstruct equipment movement will be removed and reinstalled afterward.

Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency will deploy police personnel appropriately to secure traffic safety throughout the parade route. Order maintenance and crowd control within the event venue will also be strictly enforced. To prepare for emergencies, a 119 special situation room will be operated, and 12 firefighting vehicles and 47 firefighting personnel will be deployed to respond to emergencies such as fires at the event site.

During the parade, passage from Namdaemun to Gyeongbokgung will be prohibited. Since large-scale troop movements will result in controls across various parts of Seoul, special traffic measures will be established to minimize inconvenience to citizens and support the event. Deputy Mayor Kim Sang-han said, "As Armed Forces Day has been designated a temporary holiday for the first time in 34 years, a large influx of people is expected," adding, "We will prioritize citizens' safety and carefully monitor to prevent any unforeseen accidents."