Busan Fireworks Festival rescheduled for Dec. 17

A scene from the Busan Fireworks Festival that last took place on Nov. 2, 2019 [YONHAP]

The 2022 Busan Fireworks Festival has been rescheduled for Dec. 17, after being postponed due to the national mourning period following the Itaewon crowd crush.

The fireworks festival will take place around Gwangalli Beach, Dongbaek Island and Igidae Park, according to the Busan Metropolitan Government on Monday.

The festival was originally planned to be held on Nov. 5, which was the final day of the national mourning period.

As the event is expected to take place in colder weather than usual, the city government said the event will begin an hour earlier than previous years, at 7 p.m.

Other events that take place prior to the festival, including busking and talk shows, may not take place this year.

For crowd control, the city government plans to dispatch 4,100 safety agents, including civic servants and police officers, to the scene. It expects over one million participants to show up at the festival.

This is the first time in three years that the city will be hosting the fireworks festival, due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

BY CHO JUNG-WOO [cho.jungwoo1@joongang.co.kr]