Sokcho City Declares "Zero Accidents" for Sunrise Crowds
Intensive Management of Breakwaters and Beaches at Year-End and New Year Sunrise Event Venues
Sokcho City in Gangwon Province is implementing safety measures for sunrise spots and New Year's sunrise event venues within the city, where large crowds are expected to gather on the first day of the new year.
The city anticipates that, in the early morning hours of January 1, 2026, a large number of people will flock to local sunrise destinations such as Sokcho Beach and Yeonggeumjeong Pavilion to witness the first sunrise of the year.
In response, the city has decided to establish and implement comprehensive safety measures in cooperation with relevant agencies, including the police and fire departments, to prevent accidents.
First, at Sokcho Beach, the city’s representative sunrise spot, safety inspections will be conducted on structures, sculptures, and convenience facilities within the beach area. On January 1, a comprehensive situation room will be operated at the beach administrative support center from 4 a.m. to 9 a.m., maintaining real-time communication with relevant agencies and ensuring a rapid response in the event of an emergency.
Additionally, about 80 personnel-including staff from the tourism and transportation departments, police officers, firefighters, employees of the facilities management corporation, model drivers, and crime prevention volunteers-will be deployed during sunrise hours to manage safety on the beach. Their duties will include restricting tourists from entering the water, controlling access to hazardous areas such as the headland and the Badahyanggiro Trail, and overseeing the safety of the sandy beach. Furthermore, they will manage traffic and parking in the surrounding area, as well as ensure safety at the main gate of Sokcho Beach, where the sunrise event is held, and at the south gate, where the "Sea of Light Sokcho" content demonstration will take place.
The Sokcho Fire Station will station three emergency vehicles, including an ambulance and a rescue vehicle, at the beach administrative support center to prepare for any emergencies.
Safety measures will also be implemented at harbors, ports, and breakwaters other than Sokcho Beach.
Staff from the marine and fisheries department will be assigned to Jangsa Port, Yeongrang-dong Headland, Dongmyeong Port, Yeonggeumjeong Pavilion, and Cheongho-dong breakwater to conduct safety inspections of various facilities and to restrict tourist access to tetrapods (TTP) to prevent falls.
In addition, around 40 personnel-including police officers, model drivers, and voluntary crime prevention volunteers-will assist with traffic management at the access roads to Jangsa Port, Dongmyeong Port, and Daepo Port.
Meanwhile, to mark the Year of the Red Horse (Byeongo Year), Sokcho City will hold the "2026 Sokcho Citizen New Year's Celebration" at the Expo Lawn Plaza starting at 7 p.m. on December 31.
At midnight, the city will celebrate the beginning of 2026 with a countdown performance and a spectacular fireworks display together with citizens.
On January 1, starting from 5:30 a.m., the "2026 Sokcho Sunrise Performance" will be held at the outdoor stages near the south and main gates of Sokcho Beach.
A Sokcho City official stated, "As we expect many people to visit the city's sunrise spots to greet the new year of Byeongo, we will do our utmost to ensure that not a single safety accident occurs."
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