Seoul City Cancels 'Gwangbokjeol Bell-Ringing Event' Due to COVID-19 Spread

All Ancillary Events Including Liberation Day Commemorative Performance Canceled
Bosingak's Five Bell Keepers to Conduct Bell Ringing Themselves

A banner announcing that the 2020 New Year's Eve Bell Ringing Ceremony will be held online is displayed at Bosingak in Jongno-gu, Seoul on the 31st. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] The Seoul Metropolitan Government has decided to cancel the bell-ringing ceremony commemorating the 76th anniversary of Liberation Day in consideration of the COVID-19 spread situation.

On the 12th, Seoul announced that it decided to cancel the bell-ringing ceremony to prevent the spread and ensure the safety of citizens following the elevation to social distancing level 4.

Instead of holding the Liberation Day commemorative performances and the Taegeukgi wave parade and other side events, five main bell ringers at Boshingak will directly ring the Boshingak bell 33 times to commemorate the nation's liberation and independence.

The Liberation Day bell-ringing ceremony has been held since 1949, but was suspended when Boshingak was damaged during the Korean War (6·25 War). It resumed at the end of 1953 after Boshingak was rebuilt and has continued to this day. Additionally, commemorative bell-ringing ceremonies held at Boshingak include those for the March 1st Movement Day and the New Year's Eve bell-ringing ceremony.

Since November 2006, Seoul has operated a permanent bell-ringing event at Boshingak every day from 11:00 AM to 12:20 PM except Mondays, with participation limited to fewer than 10 people per day and only for citizens who make prior reservations. The continuation of the permanent bell-ringing event will be decided based on the future trend of COVID-19 spread.

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