Fireworks Show To Light Up Seoul Skies On Saturday

SEOUL, Sept 5 (Bernama-Yonhap) -- South Korea's largest annual fireworks show is set to take place in Seoul on Saturday, Yonhap News Agency reported.

The Seoul International Fireworks Festival, hosted by Hanwha Group, begins at 8 pm in Seoul's Yeouido district.

This year's show takes place about three weeks earlier than in previous years, mainly because the Chuseok fall harvest holiday falls later this month.

Under the theme of “Find Your Light,” this year's show features fireworks teams from three countries -- South Korea's Hanwha Corp., the United States, and Britain.

A pre-festival event will take place for the first time in the festival's history, which launched in 2000.

About 6,800 personnel will be mobilised to manage crowds and handle emergencies.

The Seoul city government said a safety headquarters will be set up together with the police, fire departments, Hanwha and other relevant agencies to oversee crowds and traffic around the site.

Operational command centres doubling as emergency medical stations will be established at six locations across the Yeouido and Ichon neighbourhoods, while 45 patrol boats will be used to monitor safety on the river.

Additionally, Hanwha will monitor real-time crowd density via CCTV cameras in each festival venue zone and enable an emergency request feature in the official festival application, Orange Play.

During Saturday's main event, traffic controls will be enforced, closing Wonhyo Bridge from 9 am until 3 am Sunday and Yeouidong-ro from 3 pm to midnight.

A total of 24 bus routes passing through these restricted sections will be temporarily rerouted.

-- BERNAMA-YONHAP