Fireworks show lights up Seoul skies
Summary
South Korea’s largest annual fireworks show lit up Seoul’s Yeouido district on Saturday night, drawing about 530,000 spectators. Hosted by Hanwha Group under the theme Find Your Light, the Seoul International Fireworks Festival began just past 8 p.m. and featured teams from South Korea, the United States and Britain. The event was held about three weeks earlier than in previous years because of the later Chuseok holiday. About 6,800 personnel were deployed, and traffic restrictions were imposed around the site.
Key Facts
- The festival was launched in 2000 and this year included a pre-festival event for the first time in its history.
- The British team opened the show with fireworks set to Soda Pop from the Netflix title KPop Demon Hunters, followed by the U.S. team with O Fortuna.
- The Seoul city government and Hanwha set up a safety headquarters with police, fire departments and other agencies to manage crowds and traffic.
- Operational command centers that also served as emergency medical stations were installed at six locations across Yeouido and Ichon, and 45 patrol boats were used to monitor safety on the river.
- Wonhyo Bridge was closed from 9 a.m. until 3 a.m. Sunday, Yeouidong-ro was closed from 3 p.m. to midnight, and 24 bus routes were rerouted.
Fireworks light up the night sky over Yeouido Hangang Park in Seoul during the 2026 Seoul International Fireworks Festival, Saturday. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul
South Korea's largest annual fireworks show took place in Seoul on Saturday, lighting up the skies on this cool early autumn night.
The Seoul International Fireworks Festival, hosted by Hanwha Group, began just past 8 p.m. in Seoul's Yeouido district, with about 530,000 spectators on hand, as estimated by Hanwha and police. This year's show took place about three weeks earlier than in previous years due mainly to the Chuseok fall harvest holiday coming later this month.
Under the theme of "Find Your Light," this year's show featured fireworks teams from three countries — South Korea's Hanwha Corp., the United States, and Britain. A pre-festival event was also held for the first time in the history of the festival that was launched in 2000.
The British team kickstarted the show, with its fireworks going off to the tune of "Soda Pop" from the original soundtrack of the Netflix megahit, "KPop Demon Hunters." The U.S. team followed with "O Fortuna" playing in the background.
The South Korean team capped off the night with its show for the final 20 or so minutes, drawing oohs and aahs from the tens and thousands of people on hand.
About 6,800 personnel were mobilized to manage crowds and handle emergencies.
The Seoul city government set up a safety headquarters together with the police, fire departments, Hanwha and other relevant agencies to oversee crowds and traffic around the site.
Operational command centers doubling as emergency medical stations were established at six locations across the Yeouido and Ichon neighborhoods, while 45 patrol boats were used to monitor safety on the river.
Additionally, Hanwha monitored real-time crowd density through CCTV cameras in each zone of the festival venue and operated an emergency request feature on the official festival application, Orange Play.
Traffic controls were also enforced, closing Wonhyo Bridge from 9 a.m. until 3 a.m. Sunday, and Yeouidong-ro from 3 p.m. to midnight.
Twenty-four bus routes passing through these restricted sections were temporarily rerouted.
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