By Bae Ji-sook
Staff Reporter
Bosingak, a pagoda with a large bell in central Seoul, has been picked as the top spot to greet New Year among lovebirds, according to a matchmaking company.
Gayeon Marriage Consultant surveyed its 368 members and found that 33 percent of males and 31 percent of females chose Bosingak as the place they wanted to go with their partner on New Year's Eve.
Every New Year's Eve, hundreds of thousands of people gather in Jongno, central Seoul, around the pagoda housing the bell for wishes of good luck and health in the upcoming year.
The scene of 33 people ringing the bell is broadcast nationwide. "It seems that the old tradition dies hard even among the young generation," the company said in a press release.
The next most popular choices for most men were ski resorts and "sky lounges" from where the night view of Seoul can be seen.
Seoul Tower on Namsan, one of Seoul's landmarks, was named the most popular sky lounge.
Every year, its top-floor restaurant is fully booked on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. "Places where couples can make unforgettable memories are preferred," the company said.
The couples said watching the sunrise on the beach is the most romantic. About 68 percent of men and 82 percent of women favor it.
"How romantic would it be to listen to the bell ringing in the New Year at midnight then to hop into a car to see the sun rise at the beach?" company spokeswoman Kim Young-ju said.