Seoul Lantern Festival to lure visitors this month

Lantern themed as Dongui Bogam / Courtesy of Seoul Lantern Festival

The Seoul Lantern Festival, which turns the downtown area near Cheonggye Stream into a glimmering spectacle each year, kicked off once again on Friday.

The festival, which lures in 25 million visitors annually, will be held until Nov. 23 under the theme of “Seoul's Gleaming World Heritage.”

Elaborate lanterns of all shapes and sizes, which each their own stories, will be on display along the 1.2 kilometer stretch from Cheonggye Plaza to Supyo Bridge.

This year’s lantern festival is divided into four parts. The first will present Korea’s world heritages. Part two exhibits local and international pieces. Part three targets children, showing characters such as “Larva” and “Tobot.” The last part features lanterns made by modern light artists.

Pororo the Little Penguin themed lanterns / Courtesy of Seoul Lantern Festival