Songpa-gu 'Seokchon Lake Cherry Blossom Festival' Canceled

District Cancels Early April Cherry Blossom Festival... "Safety First"

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Songpa-gu (Mayor Park Seong-su) announced on the 17th that it will completely cancel the ‘Seokchon Lake Cherry Blossom Festival,’ which was scheduled to be held in early April, to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

The ‘Seokchon Lake Cherry Blossom Festival,’ held every spring, is a representative tourist attraction of Songpa-gu that draws numerous domestic and international tourists.

Every year, about 1,000 cherry blossom trees lining the 2.54 km walking paths around the east and west lakes of Seokchon Lake create a breathtaking view, conveying the full bloom of spring.

Along with this, various cultural programs were prepared at the festival venue, providing many people with memorable experiences.

According to the district, 5 million people visited Seokchon Lake last year alone to enjoy the cherry blossom spectacle.

However, as the COVID-19 situation has prolonged with cluster infections occurring mainly in the metropolitan area, it has become difficult to hold festivals and events where large crowds gather.

Accordingly, Songpa-gu decided to fully cancel the ‘Seokchon Lake Cherry Blossom Festival’ scheduled for April to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Originally, the district had planned various events such as experiential exhibitions utilizing the Seokchon Lake public cultural space, street lighting in the Bangi Matgol and Songridan-gil areas to revitalize the local economy, and photo zones, but explained that the cancellation was an unavoidable decision for the safety of residents and tourists.

Songpa-gu expects that the number of tourists visiting Seokchon Lake during the blooming season will increase regardless of the festival cancellation and is making thorough preparations accordingly.

▲Safety ▲Parking ▲Cleaning ▲Street vendor control, among other comprehensive safety plans, will be established to prepare for the influx of spring visitors.

The district plans to further strengthen disinfection and sterilization of public restrooms around Seokchon Lake, which have been conducted so far, and will continue to broadcast preventive guidelines along the walking paths.

In addition, safety personnel will be stationed at major entrances of Seokchon Lake to guide tourists on wearing masks and hand washing, ensuring their safety.

Park Seong-su, Mayor of Songpa-gu, said, “It is very regrettable to cancel the ‘Seokchon Lake Cherry Blossom Festival,’ which is our district’s representative festival, but it is a decision made for everyone’s safety,” adding, “We will mobilize all our capabilities to alleviate residents’ concerns and do our best to ensure safety until the COVID-19 situation is over.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.