Seoul turns Han River bridges into free outdoor movie theaters this month

Moviegoers gather under the Cheonho Bridge in Seoul to watch an outdoor film in this undated file photo. Courtesy of Seoul Metropolitan Government

Seoul will screen free movies under three bridges spanning the Han River for three consecutive Saturdays this month, transforming the space beneath the bridges into open-air theaters as part of the city's Han River Under-the-Bridge Cinema program.

Screenings run at 8 p.m. on Aug. 8, 15 and 22 beneath Wonhyo Bridge at Yeouido Hangang Park, Cheongdam Bridge at Ttukseom Hangang Park and Cheonho Bridge at Gwangnaru Hangang Park, the Seoul Metropolitan Government said.

All three venues will run screenings simultaneously on Aug. 8 and 15, while Aug. 22 will be limited to the Yeouido site alone.

The program features seven films chosen to suit each location. At the Yeouido site — Theater 1, which draws the most local and international visitors — the lineup leans toward mainstream romance and music titles, plus a Liberation Day tribute film, and will show all three of its movies with English subtitles for foreign audiences.

The Aug. 8 screening features "What If We..." (2025), a romance that topped Korean box offices in the first half of the year; Aug. 15 marks the Aug. 15 Liberation Day holiday with "Harbin" (2024), which depicts independence fighter An Jung-geun's assassination of Japanese official Ito Hirobumi in the Chinese city; and Aug. 22 closes the series with "Victory" (2024), about Korea's first competitive cheerleading team.

Ttukseom Hangang Park's Theater 2, popular with both younger and older audiences, will show "Hear Me" (2024) — a Korean remake of a Taiwanese film that became the first Korean movie reexported for release in Taiwan — on Aug. 8, followed by "The Man Who Lives with the King" (2026), the second-highest-grossing Korean release ever, on Aug. 15.

Gwangnaru Hangang Park's Theater 3, geared toward families, will show DreamWorks' 30th-anniversary release "The Wild Robot" (2024) on Aug. 8 and "Wonder" (2017) on Aug. 15.

Admission is free and open to all, though the city advised families with children to check each film's rating in advance given the outdoor setting. Before the main screenings, the city will show 20 selected clips from its Han River Moment photo and video contest.

Each event day, the city will distribute commemorative tickets to the first 300 attendees starting at 6 p.m. and offer prizes to the first 200 people who post about the event on social media, along with free sticker-making activities themed around film and Liberation Day. Starting Aug. 15, the Yeouido and Ttukseom venues will also be reachable by the Han River water bus, which is expanding its nighttime service.

Last year's edition of the program drew 13,400 visitors, with a satisfaction rate of 98.3 percent, the city said.

"As the summer heat continues, I hope people will enjoy a film under the bridges with a cool breeze off the river and feel the romance of a midsummer night," said a city official, adding that the city plans to keep developing distinctive spaces along the river for cultural and leisure programming.

This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.