PHOTOS Celebrating the Year of the Blue Dragon in Korea

Hikers watch the sunrise from the top of Mount Halla on Jeju Island on Jan. 1. Yonhap

People watch the sunrise from a bridge near Seonyoodo Park in Seoul, Jan. 1. Yonhap

People watch the sunrise from Bongsudae of Mount An in Seoul, Jan. 1. Yonhap

Haeundae Beach in Busan is packed with people who came to watch the sunrise on Jan. 1. Yonhap

People celebrate the New Year while watching drone performances at Ganjeolgot, a tourist spot in Ulsan, 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul, Jan. 1. Yonhap

Cho Hee-yeon, left, superintendent of the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, and others take part in the annual bell-ringing ceremony to celebrate the New Year at Bosingak Pavilion in central Seoul, Jan. 1. Yonhap

Fireworks lit up the sky near Lotte World Tower in Seoul to celebrate New Year on Jan. 1. Courtesy of Lotte Property and Development

A baby boy born on New Year's day is held by a doctor at CHA University Gangnam Medical Center in Seoul, Jan. 1. Yonhap

The sun rises behind a twin dragon art installation at Byeokgolje, the country’s largest and oldest artificial reservoir, in Gimje, North Jeolla Province, Dec. 7. The year 2024 corresponds to the Year of the Blue Dragon in the sexagenary cycle. As a symbol of strength, prosperity and success, the dragon, the fifth sign and the only mythical creature among the 12 oriental zodiac signs, has long been sacred and cherished as a guardian animal in East Asian cultures. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul

A plane flies over the rising sun at Incheon International Airport, 30 kilometers west of Seoul, Dec. 22. The year 2024 corresponds to the Year of the Blue Dragon in the sexagenary cycle. As a symbol of strength, prosperity and success, the dragon, the fifth sign and the only mythical creature among the 12 oriental zodiac signs, has long been sacred and cherished as a guardian animal in East Asian cultures. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul

Korea's national swimmers practice at Jincheon National Training Center in Jincheon, North Chungcheong Province, Dec. 28 as they prepare for the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics. The year 2024 corresponds to the Year of the Blue Dragon in the sexagenary cycle. The Blue Dragon symbolizes strength, prosperity and success. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul

Judokas train at Jincheon National Training Center in Jincheon, North Chungcheong Province, Dec. 28 as they prepare for the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul