"Make New Year's Wishes at Achasan"... Gwangjin-gu to Host 2025 Achasan Sunrise Festival

On the 1st at 6 AM, Sharing New Year Hopes of the Blue Snake Year at Achasan Eoullim Square
Featuring Tabbing Performance, Popera, Hanging New Year Wish Papers, Cheongsachorong Lanterns, Photo Zones, and More
First Sunrise of the New Year in Seoul Visible at 7:47 AM
Entry Restricted if Hikers Exceed 6,000; Safety Management Measures Prepared

Gwangjin-gu (District Mayor Kim Kyung-ho) will hold the ‘2025 Achasan Sunrise Festival’ at 6 a.m. on January 1st, the first day of the Year of the Eulsa, at Achasan Eoullim Square.

Achasan is 295 meters high with a gentle slope. It offers great views and is easy to climb for people of all ages, attracting visitors throughout the year.

The district aims to promote community harmony and wish for new year hopes by holding the sunrise festival at Achasan, where the sun rises first in Seoul.

At the entrance of Achasan, ‘Cheongsachorong’ lanterns welcome visitors, lighting up a 260-meter path to the Saturday Plaza. Around Eoullim Square, various attractions and activities such as hanging New Year wish tags, a wish drum, and photo zones are set up. A traditional folk percussion parade is arranged as a pre-event performance to delight citizens’ eyes and ears.

The main event starts at 7:10 a.m. at Achasan Eoullim Square. It begins with a performance of large drums and popera, followed by New Year greetings, cheers of hope, and sunrise viewing. After watching the sunrise, a celebratory busking performance for the New Year will take place.

The district has also paid close attention to safety. On the 18th, a comprehensive countermeasure meeting was held, bringing together related organizations such as Gwangjin Police Station and Gwangjin Fire Station to ensure the festival’s success. Measures include ▲operation of a joint comprehensive situation room ▲deployment of safety personnel along hiking trails ▲focused management of main hiking routes ▲emergency action guidelines to thoroughly protect residents’ safety.

In particular, for residents’ safety, entry to the mountain may be restricted if the cumulative number of visitors exceeds 6,000. Traffic will be controlled from midnight to 9 a.m. at the intersection near Dongui Elementary School to the Ecological Park junction. On the day of the event, temperatures are expected to drop to minus 4 degrees Celsius, so attendees are advised to dress warmly.

Kim Kyung-ho, Mayor of Gwangjin-gu, said, “I hope everyone welcomes a hopeful New Year at Achasan, where the sun rises first in Seoul. We have prepared a more substantial program than last year, so I hope many people come and create joyful memories. I wish that the Year of the Blue Snake, symbolizing wisdom and change, will be a year of greater leaps and development.”

According to the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute, the sunrise time in Seoul on January 1st is 7:47 a.m.

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