Seoul City to Hold Online Bell-Ringing Ceremony for Bosingak's 'New Year's Eve Bell'... Online Event Available on the 31st

14 Citizen Representatives Including Archery National Team Member An San, Actor Oh Young-soo, and Rapper Lee Young-ji Participate in Bell Ringing Ceremony

On the 26th, a Christmas tree was installed at Seoul City Hall Plaza. The lighting ceremony will be held on the 27th at 5 PM. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] To prevent the spread of COVID-19, the Seoul Metropolitan Government will hold the Bosingak ‘New Year’s Eve Bell Ringing Ceremony’ online again this year without an on-site event, following last year’s format.

The ceremony will be broadcast on YouTube and Facebook at 11:30 PM on the 31st, and will also be aired through tbs Traffic Broadcasting, terrestrial, and cable broadcasters.

This year’s ‘New Year’s Eve Bell Ringing Ceremony’ will feature 14 participants, including 10 citizen representatives who shone in 2021 such as archery national team member An San, actor Oh Young-soo, rapper Lee Young-ji, as well as Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, Seoul City Council Chairman Kim In-ho, Seoul Superintendent of Education Cho Hee-yeon, and Seoul Police Chief Choi Kwan-ho. The Bosingak bell will be rung 33 times. The citizen representatives were selected from various fields including freedom and peace, citizen safety, social welfare, science, multiculturalism, popular culture, and national prestige, recognizing those who gave hope and courage.

In addition to the bell-ringing ceremony, viewers can also enjoy ▲ videos of the miniature Bosingak bell being rung at famous sunrise spots nationwide ▲ celebratory performances marking the start of the new year on the Bosingak stage ▲ and a New Year’s cheer relay from celebrities and citizens. This is expected to be a time to comfort citizens weary from COVID-19 and recharge their energy for the new year.

The nationwide sunrise bell-ringing videos were produced with backgrounds including Haenam Ttangkkeut Village, the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), Incheon Airport, and Homigot in Pohang, all renowned domestic sunrise spots. These unique bell-ringing ceremonies feature local residents or officials ringing miniature Bosingak bells at famous locations across the country’s east, west, south, and north regions.

The celebratory performances include a dance performance by ‘La Chica,’ a dance team gaining attention from Mnet’s Street Woman Fighter, a fusion gugak (traditional Korean music) performance by ‘Seodo Band,’ who was crowned the first winner of JTBC’s Pungnyu Daejang, and the fusion gugak band ‘wHOOL.’ The cheer relay features actors Han Hyo-joo, Kang Ha-neul, Oh Jung-se, singers Koyote, and Nabi, delivering hopeful messages for the new year. Additionally, support relays will be presented by the Incheon International Airport COVID-19 Testing Center Smart Quarantine Team, soldiers serving in the DMZ, fishermen and market merchants from Guryongpo in Pohang, and students from Bukil Elementary School in Haenam Ttangkkeut Village, which celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2022.

Mayor Oh Se-hoon will also deliver a New Year’s greeting via video. He said, “Although the bell-ringing event will be held online again this year following last year, I hope the sound of the New Year’s Eve bell will reach all citizens filled with dreams and hope. I thank all citizens who have wisely overcome the difficult and challenging times of the past year. In 2022, the Year of the Black Tiger, we will do our best to restore normal daily life as soon as possible.”

Since there will be no on-site bell-ringing ceremony at Bosingak this year, there will be no extended bus or subway operations. Citizens returning home late should check the last train and bus times. Roads around Bosingak will operate normally without traffic control on the 31st.

Meanwhile, the Seoul Metropolitan Government also released various records related to the ‘New Year’s Eve Bell Ringing Ceremony,’ which began in 1953. The first year citizens participated in the bell-ringing ceremony was 1986. The year with the most bell ringers was 1993, when 110 Seoul citizen representatives participated to commemorate the city’s population surpassing 11 million.

This year’s bell-ringing event can also be experienced through the metaverse and 360° VR. By entering the metaverse via the banner at the top of the Seoul city website, visitors can explore a virtual Bosingak and Seoul Plaza and experience ringing the ‘New Year’s Eve Bell.’ They can also take commemorative New Year photos with their avatars. Through a 360° VR created in collaboration with SK Telecom, users can vividly experience the view of Jonggak 4-way intersection and Bosingak as well as the sound of the bell ringing.

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