2025 Jinju New Year's Eve Bell Ringing ... Welcoming the New Year Together with Citizens

Welcoming the New Year with Citizens
at the Jinju Fortress Patriotism Bell Pavilion

Jinju City in South Gyeongsang Province celebrated the arrival of the hopeful new year of 2026 together with its citizens after successfully hosting the '2025 New Year's Eve Bell Ringing Event' at the Jinju Fortress Patriotism Bell Pavilion area on the night of December 31.

This event, Jinju City's signature New Year celebration, brought citizens together at the end of the year to reflect on the past and share their hopes and resolutions for the coming year. Held at Jinju Fortress, a site imbued with the spirit of patriotism, the event added deeper meaning to the tradition of bidding farewell to the old year and welcoming the new.

The pre-event performances included a grand drum performance by the cultural arts group Onteo, a street dance show by Heartbeat, a performance by the invited singer December, a congratulatory performance by Hwang Ina, the grand prize winner of the 2025 Jinju Gain Song Festival, a choral piece titled 'K-Pop Demon Hunters Golden' by Jinju Ladies Singers, and an LED drone dance performance, all of which heightened the festive atmosphere.

Jinju City, photos from the '2025 New Year's Eve Bell Ringing Event' site.

The main event featured the 'Patriotism Bell Guard Ceremony,' which embodied the city's wishes for the new year, and a calligraphy performance themed on 'Mansadaegil' (Great Fortune in All Things), Jinju City's four-character idiom for 2026. Calligrapher Wooje Kang Bongjun completed a powerful and majestic calligraphy piece with a large brush. Afterwards, Jinju Mayor Cho Gyu-il, National Assembly members Park Dae-chul and Kang Min-guk, Jinju City Council Chairperson Baek Seung-heung, a student representative, and other Jinju citizens-six participants in total-wrote their names together in a participatory performance, symbolically expressing shared hopes and solidarity for the new year.

During the bell-ringing ceremony that followed, the bell was struck 33 times in a solemn manner to announce the beginning of 2026. Immediately after, a spectacular fireworks display lit up the night sky, and the Jinju Ladies Singers returned to the stage to perform the choral piece 'To Jinju of Hope,' delivering a message of inspiration and hope to the citizens.

Throughout the event area, various side events were held for families to enjoy together, including a wishing paper experience, tarot readings, and New Year's hope message calligraphy. Local organizations and groups such as Jinju City Saemaeul Association, Gyeongnam Special Forces Environmental Management Association, Jinju City Saemaeul Traffic Volunteer Corps, Chokseok Cheongsilhoe, and NH Nonghyup Jinju Branch participated through volunteer work and sponsorship.

To ensure safety and convenience for citizens, Jinju City operated the main event space in front of the Patriotism Bell Pavilion, the lawn square, and the side event area along the Chokseokru trail separately. Professional safety personnel and public officials were stationed at key points to ensure the event was conducted in perfect safety.

Jinju Mayor Cho Gyu-il stated, "I hope the sound of the New Year's Eve bell ringing at Jinju Fortress will connect with each citizen's wishes for the new year," adding, "I also hope this event becomes a meaningful time for sharing Jinju's traditions and sentiments with our citizens."