Feeling isolated from staying home due to COVID-19, year-end 'Light Festival' selfies boost sense of belonging and presence

Crowds Gather at Year-End Events Nationwide
Light Lantern Festival, Boktokki and Christmas Tree Popular
Taking 인증샷 and Posting on SNS... "A Kind of Belonging"

"It's cold. But we have to enjoy the year-end festivities!"

Bustling despite subzero weather... 'Feast of Lights' at Gwanghwamun

People gathered in front of the Boktokki at the Seoul Gwanghwamun Square Light Lantern Festival, which started on the 19th, to take photos. Photo by Munhwa Young.

Despite the wind chill dropping to minus 7 degrees Celsius, Seoul's Gwanghwamun Square is crowded every evening with people eager to enjoy the Light Lantern Festival. Visitors are seen taking photos and shopping at the market stalls while enjoying the event.

The Seoul Light Lantern Festival, which began on the 19th, operates under the theme "Light of Togetherness" until midnight on the 31st. Originally held around Cheonggye Plaza and Cheonggyecheon Stream, this year the venue was moved to Gwanghwamun. Large-scale displays of the Turtle Ship and Boktokki (Lucky Rabbit) are exhibited, and the dazzling light sculptures are especially popular as photo zones.

A couple in their twenties taking pictures in front of the Boktokki said, "It's great to see the colorful lights at Gwanghwamun," adding, "It's cold, but we plan to take photos and browse items at the market." A total of 61 small business vendors are participating in the event, selling handcrafted goods including Christmas decorations and food.

According to the Seoul Tourism Foundation, 223,000 visitors attended the Seoul Light Lantern Festival at Gwanghwamun Square over the two days of the 24th and 25th. Especially, many people gathered to take photos in front of the large Christmas tree. A representative from the Seoul Tourism Foundation stated, "Starting next year, when tourism is expected to fully revive, we plan to promote rich exhibitions, performances, and markets throughout Seoul to captivate tourists, using the experience of this year's Light Lantern Festival at Gwanghwamun Square as a foundation."

Year-end events held both indoors and outdoors... "We came to take photos"

People lined up to take photos in front of the Christmas tree at The Hyundai Seoul.

In Busan, the 17th Busan Fireworks Festival was held around Gwangalli Beach on the 17th. Despite concerns as the largest event since the Itaewon tragedy, the festival concluded safely with 700,000 attendees.

At the COEX Winter Festival held in Samseong-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, visitors viewed the exhibits. Visitors participated in an art exhibition displaying New Year's wish messages for the upcoming Year of the Rabbit (Gyemyo Year) and took photos. The "2022 New Year's Eve Bell-Ringing Ceremony" will be held at Bosingak in Jongno-gu, Seoul, starting at 10:50 PM on the 31st. The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency expects around 100,000 people to gather for the bell-ringing event.

New hotspot for certification shots: department stores... visiting for media fa?ades and exhibitions

Media facade view of Lotte Department Store. Photo by Lotte Department Store

People are visiting outdoor locations such as Shinsegae and Hyundai department stores to take 'certification shots' even if not strictly outdoors. This is influenced by the liberation from COVID-19 lockdowns, the trend of small but certain happiness (sohwakhaeng), and the spread of certification shot culture. On Christmas Eve, the sidewalk opposite Shinsegae and Lotte Department Stores in Jung-gu, Seoul, was crowded with many people taking photos of the 'media fa?ade' installed on the department store exteriors.

Thousands of lights and videos enhance the splendor, and people took photos here to upload on social networking services (SNS). A person in their twenties visiting Myeongdong Shinsegae Department Store, identified as A, said, "I kept walking around the department store to find the best spot for selfies." Another person, B, said, "I found it beautiful last year, so I decided to come again this year."

The Hyundai Seoul in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, has emerged as a new hotspot for certification shots this year. The department store created the H Village themed around Christmas, and with promotion and word of mouth, it attracts large crowds daily. Although they manage waiting lists through their own application, visitors say that without rushing to open, it is difficult to fully enjoy the exhibition.

Regarding the year-end event certification shot culture, Professor Kwak Geum-ju of Seoul National University's Department of Psychology said, "There is a sense of belonging and a kind of desire to take photos when others do," and "With the development of social networking services (SNS), there is also an exposure effect where people post content to assert their presence." She added, "By being active on SNS, people psychologically express their affiliation with the event."

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