Seoul will deploy a total of 6,800 safety personnel and activate a comprehensive traffic and safety plan for the Seoul International Fireworks Festival 2026 with Hanwha, to be held on the 4th and 5th of this month.
The city said on the 1st that it has expanded safety equipment by more than 20% from a year earlier and, working with related agencies, has built a seamless safety management system covering the event site, subway stations and the Han River waters. With more than 1 million people attending the event each year, the city said the goal is to strengthen on-site response to crowd density and various safety incidents.
On the 5th, when the main event takes place, Wonhyo Bridge will be fully closed from 9 a.m. until 3 a.m. on the 6th, and Yeouidong-ro from the southern end of Mapo Bridge to the front of the 63 Building will be closed from 3 p.m. until midnight. Twenty-four bus routes passing through the sections will be temporarily rerouted.
Anticipating a surge of passengers before and after the event, Line 5 will add 18 additional runs and Line 9 will add 65, while 21 stations near the venue will be staffed with three to five times more safety personnel than usual. At Yeouinaru Station on Line 5, the closest to the venue, trains may pass without stopping or entrances may be closed for safety if crowds become excessive.
In the Yeouido and Ichon areas, rentals and returns of Seoul Bike and electric bicycles and shared personal mobility devices operated by eight private companies will be suspended from 8 a.m. on the 4th until 7 a.m. on the 6th. Bicycle access within crowded zones will also be restricted on the day of the event. Han River Bus service will be suspended or shortened from the 3rd through the 5th for water safety.
Safety personnel will be concentrated at main entry and exit routes to the venue, crowded zones and nearby subway stations, and will separate spectator flows using safety fences and traffic cones to prepare for crowd density and unexpected situations. Ahead of the event, on the 3rd and 4th, the city will conduct a joint inspection with a government inspection team from the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, police, fire authorities and district offices.
Fire and ambulance vehicles and medical personnel will be stationed at the venue, and six operations centers doubling as emergency medical stations will run in the Yeouido and Ichon areas. During the event, 45 patrol boats will be deployed to manage safety on the Han River. An additional 94 portable toilets and waste collection facilities will be installed at Yeouido and Ichon Han River Parks, and about 1,200 people, including a Hanwha employee volunteer group, will clean up the surrounding area after the event ends.
