2024 Gapjin Year New Year's Celebration: 'Busan Citizens' Bell Ringing Event' Held

The hopeful new year of 2024, the Year of Gapjin, is just three days away.

Busan City will look back on the Year of Gyemyo and hold the ‘2024 New Year Bell Ringing Ceremony for Busan Citizens’ at Yongdusan Park to announce the hopeful start of the upcoming Gapjin Year (甲辰年).

Poster for the Bell Ringing Ceremony of Busan Citizens.

This citizen bell ringing event will proceed in the order of ▲year-end music festival ▲countdown ▲bell ringing ceremony ▲New Year’s address ▲New Year’s fireworks.

In line with the Year of the Blue Dragon (Gapjin Year, 甲辰年), symbolizing new beginnings, growth, and vitality, various participation programs and hot pack and beverage service booths will be set up under the concept of ‘So-won Da Irwoyong’ (meaning “May all your wishes come true”).

The participation programs, starting from 6 PM, include ▲Blue Dragon folk games (Yutnori fortune-telling, beanbag target fortune) ▲making lucky talismans ▲challenge stacking, among others. The beverage service booth will offer various benefits for those who bring their own tumblers to encourage reducing disposable product use.

The year-end music festival will take place from 11 PM for 50 minutes, providing a calm and gentle musical atmosphere to close the Year of Gyemyo romantically.

This year’s bell ringers have been selected as citizens who convey the hopeful and bright energy of the Blue Dragon.

They include proud citizens representing Busan in the Year of Gyemyo, gold medalists from the Hangzhou Asian Games, citizen heroes, outstanding work-life balance companies, neighbors practicing love through volunteer work, and contributors to city administration?those who have embodied the values of hope and love.

In particular, to announce the hopeful start of the upcoming Gapjin Year (甲辰年), officials from the organizing committee of the 2024 Busan World Table Tennis Championships, the first event of its kind held in Korea, will participate in this bell ringing.

The bell ringers who will mark the first start of 2024 with the New Year countdown include five key institution heads: Mayor Park Hyung-jun, the City Council Chairperson, the Superintendent of Education, the Jung-gu District Mayor, and the Chamber of Commerce President, along with 17 citizen representatives. A total of 22 bell ringers will be divided into three groups?Hope, Love, and Peace?and will ring the bell 33 times in total, 11 times each.

The 17 citizen bell ringers recommended by Busan City, the City Council, and the Education Office will participate as citizen representatives. Among those selected by the city are ▲Yoo Seung-min, co-chair of the 2024 Busan World Table Tennis Championships Organizing Committee, and Hyun Jung-hwa, executive director ▲Laura McClure from the International Tourism City Global Citizen Advisory Group ▲Lee Hee-sook and Corporal Park Chan-il, recipients of the 2023 Proud Citizen Award ▲Citizen hero Yoo Se-rim, who risked her life to save a taxi driver from a burning electric vehicle ▲Architect Lee Ki-cheol, winner of the 2023 Godsaenglimpik Pro Award ▲Gam Gyu-eun, planner of the nation’s first ‘Our Neighborhood ESG Center’ ▲Fencer Song Se-ra, who won a gold medal at her first appearance in the Hangzhou Asian Games ▲Nguyen Thi Minh An, a model multicultural family member ▲Lee Sang-gyun, recipient of the storytelling audiobook grand prize and contributor to creating a culture of shared parenting ▲Entrepreneur Park Sung-jun, who contributed to fostering a work-life balance culture.

Additionally, recommended by the City Council are ▲Yeoh Eun-jung, head of a volunteer organization ▲Professor Seo Jeong-hee ▲Pastor Kang Jeong-chil ▲Director of the Joo Seong-sik Scholarship Foundation, and recommended by the Education Office is ▲outstanding teacher Yoon Jin-min.

To ensure the safety of spectators, the city has carefully inspected six main entrances and exits and hazardous areas within the park, preparing safety measures in advance for any anticipated issues. On the day of the event, a total capacity limit of 7,000 people will be enforced, and entry will be controlled if overcrowding occurs within the venue.

Under normal circumstances, visitors can freely walk through the main entrances of the event site, but during congestion, crowds will be redirected and dispersed. Safety personnel on site will monitor crowd density in real time and restrict access to main entrances if the number exceeds 7,000.

Professional security personnel (private security) will be deployed strategically to provide expert and enhanced safety management, demonstrating Busan’s capability to maintain zero safety accidents until the very last moment of the year.

Furthermore, to ensure citizens’ comfortable and safe return home, public transportation last train times will be extended until after 1 AM. For the subway, from Nampo-dong, the last trains to Dadaepo will run until 01:32, and to Nopo until 01:02. Since last train times vary by destination, prior confirmation is advised.

Mayor Park Hyung-jun said, “The bell ringing ceremony is a meaningful event to close the year and welcome the new year. Various programs that Busan citizens can directly participate in and enjoy have been prepared, so I hope everyone shares the joy of welcoming the Gapjin Year together.” He added, “Please prepare warm clothing such as coats, scarves, and gloves to stay comfortable in the cold weather on the day of the event.”

The Busan Citizens’ Bell Ringing Ceremony will be broadcast live online through Busan City’s YouTube channel, BusanTube, and the official YouTube channel of the Busan Culture and Tourism Festival Organizing Committee, allowing families to watch from home.

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