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Seoul transforms night sky into tourist magnet
More than 500 drones light up the night sky over Ttukseom Hangang Park in Gwangjin District, Seoul, April 29, 2023 / Yonhap
By Lee Kyung-min
On a warm spring evening along the banks of the Han River, thousands of spectators held up their smartphones as 1,000 synchronized drones rose into the dark, forming the glowing, red-bladed silhouette of a Darth Vader lightsaber.
The spectacle drew gasps from the crowd on the riverbank, but its true reach extended far beyond Seoul: a video of the May performance generated over 770,000 views on YouTube, with 93 percent of the audience watching from overseas — led by viewers in the United States.
What began as an experimental municipal light show is rapidly transforming into one of Asia’s most lucrative night-tourism franchises. The Seoul Metropolitan Government officials said Tuesday that the first five shows of the 2026 Han River Light Performance drew a total of 125,358 visitors — nearly doubling average foot traffic along the waterfront on show nights.
More importantly for city planners, the aerial spectacles are drawing heavy international spending.
Foreign tourists accounted for over a third, or 34.6 percent, of all attendees in the first half of the year, with foreign nationals making up nearly half the crowd during an April show in Yeouido. Nearby commercial districts saw card sales jump 17 percent on event days, while the Ttukseom waterfront neighborhood recorded a 39 percent surge in spending, fueled largely by overseas travelers whose local purchases skyrocketed by 402 percent.
The economic ripple effect has prompted city officials to integrate local food delivery services directly into the venue experience. Realizing that spectators routinely arrive hours early to stake out picnic spots, the city has partnered with popular food delivery platform Baedal Minjok to streamline English-language ordering for international tourists waiting on the grass.
Seoul plans to launch three additional shows this fall at Ttukseom Han River Park, culminating on Oct. 31 with a massive Marvel-themed performance in collaboration with Walt Disney Company Korea. Featuring a record-setting fleet of 2,000 drones, the Halloween night finale is expected to draw the city's largest crowd yet.
"The Han River drone show has firmly established itself as a premier night-tourism attraction that draws global travelers and breathes fresh economic energy into surrounding neighborhoods," said Cho Sung-ho, head of Seoul's Tourism and Sports Bureau. "We will continue to cultivate unique cultural experiences that make Seoul a must-visit night destination."
This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.