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| This undated photo shows the annual bell-ringing ceremony being performed by dignitaries at Bosingak Pavilion in Seoul. Courtesy of Seoul Metropolitan Government |
By Bahk Eun-ji
The country has held a bell-ringing ceremony to ring in the New Year at Bosingak Pavilion in central Seoul every year, with more than 100,000 people gathering there to celebrate.
This year, however, the ceremony was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the first cancellation since the tradition began in 1953. The event was replaced with a video that was pre-recorded.
But still the bell ringing remains special to the people, especially Seoul citizens, and the Seoul Metropolitan Government added the Bosingak bell-ringing ceremony to the Seoul Future Heritage list recently.
Since 2013, the city government has designated 488 buildings, sites and even non-physical cultural assets as "future heritage" that are historically and culturally significant enough to be preserved and handed down to future generations.
The city government said the bell-ringing ceremony is a representative New Year's event that has become a tradition in Seoul.
"The Bosingak bell tolling at night comes to mind when people think of the New Year and January," said Kim Kyung-tak a deputy director of the city's culture policy division.
Every year, the mayor of Seoul, government officials and specially invited representatives of the public ring the bell to herald the New Year.
Crowds gather around the pavilion near Jonggak Station on Seoul Metro Line 1 to celebrate the occasion. Just like ball drop seen annually in Times Square, New York, the bell tolls at midnight. It is rung 33 times, and the ceremony is televised on all major channels.
The 33 chimes of the bell is a reference to the 33 heavens of Buddhism and this expresses hope for the wellbeing and development of the country and its people.
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| Yeouido Park / Courtesy of Seoul Metropolitan Government |
Along with Bosingak Bell, the city government also added Yeouido Park to the list.
The site of Yeouido Park had been initially developed as an airfield in 1916 under the Japanese occupation. After liberation, it was used as an airfield and an air base until 1971, and in 1972, it was redeveloped as 5.16 Square and used as a venue for large-scale gatherings. 5.16 refers to Park Chung-hee's 1961 military coup d'etat.
The square was turned into a public park and opened on Jan. 24, 1999.
Also on the list is the short story "Watching Trams" by writer Ha Geun-chan, published in January 1976 by Literature and Thought, a literary magazine and an organizer of the prestigious Yi Sang Literary Award.
"Watching Trams" depicts the feelings of citizens experiencing the subway for the first time.
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| A cover of an edition of Literature and Thought in 1976, which includes "Watching Trams," written by Han Geun-chan / Courtesy of Seoul Metropolitan Government |
It is a story about a man and his grandson's encounter with a strange new experience; the subway. Through the story, writer Ha expressed his regret and emptiness about rapid changes in society, and described his longing for the past.
The city government said it selected the novel for future heritage status because it depicts Seoul's history, including the opening of the subway.
Visit futureheritage.seoul.go.kr for more information about Seoul's Future Heritage list.
