Seoul City Implements 'Special Traffic Measures' for National Armed Forces Day Parade

Increase in Public Transportation Services and Crackdown on Illegal Parking

Seoul City announced on the 18th that it will implement special traffic measures on the 26th in celebration of the ‘National Armed Forces Day Parade.’ Since the event will take place during the day, the city plans to provide comprehensive support including increased public transportation, detours due to traffic control, and traffic information services.

The participating units will hold a commemorative ceremony at Seoul Airport located in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province starting at 10 a.m. To join the parade, from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., the units will split into foot troops and equipment units and move along separate routes to Sungnyemun. The police will control the lanes in the direction of movement according to the units’ travel times.

The Air Force's special flight team, 'Black Eagles,' is conducting a rehearsal flight for the 75th Armed Forces Day celebration over downtown Seoul on the morning of the 31st. Photo by Jo Yongjun jun21@

Accordingly, all 267 bus routes passing through the controlled sections (117 Seoul city buses, 3 city tour buses, 25 Seoul village buses, 4 airport buses, and 118 Gyeonggi/Incheon buses) will operate on detour routes. The detour routes can be checked from the 20th via notices attached to the vehicles and non-stopping bus stops on the respective routes, and inquiries can be made to Seoul City or the bus companies for guidance.

Additionally, since road controls are expected to cause inconvenience for bus and other vehicle users, subway ridership is anticipated to increase. Therefore, on the day of the event, subway lines 2, 3, and 5 will operate 13 additional trips between 12 p.m. and 6 p.m.

At City Hall Station, Gyeongbokgung Station, and Gwanghwamun Station located around Sejong-daero, approximately 53 Seoul Metro employees?about four times the usual number?will be on duty. At the same time, the Smart Safety Integrated Situation Room at Seoul Metro’s headquarters will closely monitor not only City Hall, Gyeongbokgung, and Gwanghwamun stations but also nearby stations such as Hoehyeon Station. In case of emergencies, additional support personnel including subway security officers will be deployed for rapid response.

To facilitate the quick assembly and movement of the units participating in the parade during the road control period, illegal parking and stopping violations will be strictly enforced from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sejong-daero, Sajik-ro, Cheongwadae-ro, and Hyoja-ro on the day of the event.

Moreover, due to the large crowds of spectators expected on the sidewalks, public bicycles and shared personal mobility devices that could pose risks to pedestrian safety will not be available for return or rental around the event area. Citizens using public bicycles or personal mobility devices (Kickgoing, Swing, Beam) can check usage information through their respective operating apps.

Since many roads are controlled on a weekday, navigation and map service providers will guide drivers to avoid the controlled sections and suggest alternative detour routes to minimize inconvenience for citizens who must travel by car for work or other reasons.

Yoon Jong-jang, Director of Urban Transportation at Seoul City, stated, “As this parade is a large-scale national event held for the first time in 10 years, we will do our best to manage on-site traffic conditions by securing public transportation operations and capacity by section, and providing traffic information to ensure safe viewing and minimize inconvenience for citizens.” He added, “However, since the event takes place during a weekday daytime, congestion is expected throughout the downtown area, so we kindly ask citizens to leave their private cars behind and use the subway whenever possible.”

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