No injuries after scary explosion at holiday bonfire in Busan

A dalgip, or moon house, explodes in Songjeong Beach, Busan, on Saturday. [YONHAP]

An explosion occurred before a crowd of 15,000 people while igniting a dalgip, or “moon house,” for a traditional Korean event on Saturday in Busan.

According to Busan's Seo District Office, the lower part of the dalgip, settled at Songjeong Beach, exploded at 6:30 p.m. as soon as it was lit for Jeongwol Daeboreum.

Jeongwol Daeboreum is a traditional Korean holiday celebrating the first full moon after the Lunar New Year.

On the holiday, people gather to watch the burning dalgip to ward off bad luck and wish for a peaceful year.

No casualties were reported, though sparks flew toward the person who lit the fire, according to reports.

The exact cause of the explosion has yet to be determined.

“There was a strong smell of gasoline before the ignition,” a witness told Yonhap News. “I believe that during such an event, local governments should ignite the fire away from the actual dalgip to prevent accidents.”

A similar accident occurred in the same area in 2019.

An explosion happened during the ignition of a dalgip at Songjeong Beach, injuring three people.

That accident was caused by oil vapor from the gasoline sprayed in the dalgip, which caused it to explode as soon as it was lit ignition.

After the accident, local governments implemented safety measures for igniting dalgip from 10 meters (33 feet) away.

However, many people reportedly ignore this recommendation during actual events.

BY KIM JI-YE [kim.jiye@joongang.co.kr]