Annual lantern festival lights up downtown Seoul

Colorful paper lanterns are displayed over Cheonggye Stream in Seoul, Nov. 25, a day before the opening of the Seoul Lantern Festival. Yonhap

By Bahk Eun-ji

The Seoul Lantern Festival kicked off on Nov. 26 to light up the city center with more than 80 paper lanterns over Cheonggye Stream, for a 10-day run through Dec. 5, according to the Seoul Metropolitan Government and the Seoul Tourism Organization (STO).

For the annual event, 83 lanterns, made with mostly paper, are displayed along a 700-meter section of Cheonggye Stream, from the waterfall at the start of the stream down to Jangtong Bridge.

The lantern festival, which marks its 13th year, is one of Seoul's representative festivals that illuminates the stream area with colorful lanterns every winter.

A citizen takes a photo of colorful paper lanterns displayed over Cheonggye Stream in central Seoul, Nov. 25, a day before the opening of the Seoul Lantern Festival. Yonhap

Last year, the festival was held in four special tourism zones ― Jamsil, Itaewon, Dongdaemun and Myeong-dong ― as part of the city government's efforts to revitalize the commercial districts that were hit hard by a decline in tourist numbers due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But this year it has returned to Cheonggye Stream.

"Under the theme of Forest of Healing, the Colors of Seoul, many of the lanterns are forest-themed, sending messages of comfort to citizens weary from the prolonged pandemic," the STO said.

The winners of a traditional paper lantern contest hosted by the organization in September are also displayed.

The festival is held in strict compliance with quarantine rules, with visitors having to undergo body temperature checks and visitor registration, the STO noted.

This year's festival will also be held virtually using augmented reality (AR) technology. Anyone can view 10 sets of major works by accessing the official AR exhibition website of the festival.

"This year's festival was planned under the theme of delivering a message of comfort and support for the citizens tired of the prolonged pandemic. We hope many festivalgoers will take good memories away from the event," Kil Ki-yon, president and CEO of the STO, said in a statement.

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