Seoul Police Control Downtown Traffic for Lantern Festival, Buddha's Birthday, and Labor Day Rallies

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency announced on the 29th that it will impose traffic restrictions in the downtown area for two days from the 30th of this month to the 1st of next month, considering the Lotus Lantern Festival celebrating Buddha's Birthday and the Labor Day rallies.

According to the police, on the 30th, traffic will be restricted from 1:00 PM to 3:00 AM the next day between Jonggak and Heunginjimun for the preliminary preparations of the lantern parade; from 6:00 PM to 8:30 PM between Dongguk University Entrance and Heunginjimun during the start of the lantern parade; and from 7:00 PM until midnight on May 1st between Sejong-daero Intersection, Jonggak, and Anguk-dong Intersection. In particular, the Jongno section will be completely closed to north-south traffic from 7:00 PM when the lantern parade passes, requiring vehicles to detour via Yulgok-ro and Eulji-ro, the police explained.

On May 1st, the second day of the Lotus Lantern Festival and Labor Day, Ujeongguk-ro in front of Jogyesa Temple will be closed from 9:00 AM until midnight on the 2nd. The police expect about 10,000 members of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) to gather in the Namdaemun to Taepyeong-ro area on that day. A march to Jeokseon Rotary is also anticipated, and the police are preparing accordingly. The National Solidarity for the Elimination of Disability is also expected to hold a rally with 500 participants at Marronnier Park on the same day, followed by a march.

The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency stated, "To minimize traffic congestion and inconvenience to citizens, we will install 407 guide signs and banners around the restricted areas and deploy about 400 personnel including traffic police to manage traffic and guide vehicle detours."

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