Some 1,000 safety agents to be dispatched for Bosingak bell-ringing ceremony

Large crowds of people gather around the Bosingak pavilion in Jongno District, central Seoul, on Dec. 31, 2018 to celebrate the end of the year and welcome 2019. [YONHAP]

Nearly 1,000 safety agents will be on standby in downtown Seoul this weekend as some 100,000 people are expected to show up for the first in-person Bosingak bell-ringing ceremony in three years.

The Jonggak area near the Bosingak bell pavilion in Jongno District, central Seoul, had for years attracted massive crowds of people on Dec. 31 to count down the last seconds of the year and hear the bell ring at the turn of a new one.

High-profile figures used to be invited by the Seoul Metropolitan Government to ring the bell together as the clock struck midnight, sending a message of hope and a new beginning across the nation, including to viewers watching the event broadcast live from home.

The ceremony was switched to online since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The city government announced on Sunday that the event would return to being held in person this year, albeit with various safety control measures.

The bell-ringing ceremony comes just two months after a crush in the Itaewon neighborhood of Yongsan District, central Seoul, left 158 people dead including 26 foreigners. Most victims were under the age of 30, celebrating Halloween with their friends.

To prevent large swarms of people from gathering and moving at a single location, the Seoul Metropolitan Government said that all subway trains will bypass Jonggak Station on subway line No. 1 from 11 p.m. on Saturday to 1 a.m. on Sunday.

The bell-ringing ceremony has been set for 11 p.m. on Saturday to 12:30 a.m. on Sunday.

No cars or buses will be allowed to drive on roads surrounding the Bosingak pavilion from 9 p.m. on Saturday to 1:30 a.m. on Sunday.

Buses and subways in the area, however, will operate till 2 a.m. on Sunday to help people get home, said the city government.

Some 960 safety agents from the Jongno District Office, Seoul Metro and the Seoul Facilities Corporation will be dispatched to the scene for safety control, which is about 60 percent more than in previous years.

Over 100 of those agents will be dispatched to six subway stations near the pavilion, including Jonggak Station and Gwanghwamun Station on subway line No. 5.

A so-called joint command center involving the Seoul Metropolitan Government, police and firefighters will be set up at Jongno Tower near the pavilion to streamline communication in case an emergency occurs.

Eleven fire engines and nine ambulance cars will be parked nearby, said the Seoul government, adding that a so-called emergency route where ambulances can easily pass through without any obstacles will also be designated.

On a similar note, Jung District Office said it opened an emergency situation room to oversee crowd control in Myeong-dong, central Seoul, until the end of January. The Mapo District Office vowed to increase on-site safety inspections in Hongdae, western Seoul, this week to prevent possible crowd surges.

BY LEE SUNG-EUN [lee.sungeun@joongang.co.kr]