‘New Year’s Bell Ringing Ceremony for Busan Citizens’ Held with the Community

Yongdusan Park, the Bell of Hope, Love, and Peace in the Gyemyo Year (癸卯年)

The '2023 New Year's Bell Ringing Ceremony for Busan Citizens' held at Yongdusan Park for the first time in three years.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Dongguk Lee] The hopeful New Year of 2023, the Year of the Black Rabbit, is just three days away.

Busan City will look back on the Year of the Tiger and hold the ‘2023 New Year’s Bell Ringing Ceremony for Busan Citizens’ at Yongdusan Park for the first time in three years, marking a hopeful start to the upcoming Year of the Black Rabbit (Gyemo Year, 癸卯年).

This citizen bell-ringing event will begin at 11 p.m. around Yongdusan Park in Jung-gu and will proceed in the order of a year-end music festival, countdown, bell ringing ceremony, New Year’s address, and fireworks.

At the bell-ringing ceremony, 24 bell ringers will be divided into three groups representing Hope, Love, and Peace, each ringing the bell 11 times for a total of 33 rings. Mayor Park Hyung-joon, the Chairperson of the City Council, the Superintendent of Education, the Jung-gu District Mayor, the President of the Chamber of Commerce, and five other key officials, along with 19 citizens, will participate.

This year’s citizen bell ringers include ▲ Nurse Manager Geum Deuk, who devoted herself to COVID-19 response ▲ Kim Min-ja, who has long served as a support worker for elderly living alone ▲ Professor Na Geon, who oversaw the renewal of Busan’s city brand ▲ Chairman Park Min-jun of the Youth Policy Coordination Committee ▲ Yang Jae-saeng, recipient of the Proud Citizen Award ▲ Campbell Asia, the third PT speaker for the selection of the host country for the 2030 World Expo.

Additionally, scholarship recipients recommended by the City Council and the Office of Education, volunteers practicing neighborly love, exemplary students, and outstanding teachers have been selected as bell ringers to ring the bell of love and peace.

Pre-event activities include writing New Year’s wish wish-balls starting at 6 p.m., setting up a large rabbit moon photo zone, providing hot packs and warm tea for cold weather, and at 9 p.m., operating a promotional booth to support the bid for the 2030 Expo.

Following the countdown, a performance will feature wish-balls containing citizens’ New Year wishes soaring 10 meters high, and at the stroke of midnight, the Busan Citizens’ Bell will ring 33 times, creating an audiovisual effect to offer citizens an unforgettable first memory of the New Year.

For this event, the city has thoroughly inspected six main entrances and exits and hazardous areas within the park, conducting multiple on-site safety checks to prepare in advance.

Potential issues have been identified beforehand, and safety measures such as blocking dangerous routes, installing additional night lighting in the park, and applying anti-slip tape have been implemented to prevent accidents.

Moreover, to ensure visitor safety, access to Yongdusan Park will be restricted if a large number of people gather in a short time.

To facilitate citizens’ safe and comfortable return home, subway and bus last service times will be extended past 1 a.m. based on Nampo-dong. However, since last service times vary by destination, prior confirmation is necessary.

Mayor Park Hyung-joon of Busan said, “As this is the first New Year bell-ringing event with citizens in three years since COVID-19, we will do our utmost until the end to ensure the safety and convenience of all attendees,” adding, “I hope citizens can directly participate, enjoy, and share the joy of welcoming the New Year together in Busan, a city where people want to live again.” He also urged, “Please prepare warm clothing such as coats, scarves, and gloves to stay comfortable in the cold weather on the day of the event.”

The city plans to hold a final safety inspection report meeting chaired by the Deputy Mayor at 3 p.m. on the 29th to ensure a safe New Year’s celebration.

The meeting will review the overall event and safety measures with related agencies, discuss roles and cooperation systems by institution, and establish a preparedness posture to ensure a safe event.

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