Gwangju's Lunar New Year Holiday This Year Was Calm and Peaceful

1. 1.46 Million Arrivals and 1.61 Million Departures During the Holiday
2. Decrease of 320,000 Compared to Last Year’s Chuseok
3. Emergency Snow Removal Operations Amid Heavy Snowfall
4. Comprehensive Situation Rooms for Medical, Transportation, and Water Supply

Despite the inclement weather with a heavy snow advisory in effect, the Gwangju area spent the Lunar New Year holiday peacefully without any major incidents or accidents.

According to Gwangju City on the 31st, as of noon the previous day, approximately 1.46 million people visited Gwangju during the holiday period via Gwangju Songjeong Station, the intercity bus terminal, the airport, or by private car, while about 1.61 million people left Gwangju to return home.

During this Lunar New Year holiday, a total of 3.09 million people traveled to and from Gwangju, a decrease of about 320,000 compared to last year's Chuseok, with a daily average decrease of 160,000.

Kang Kijeong, mayor of Gwangju, attended the 'Seol Greeting Democratic Family Joint New Year Bowing Ceremony' held at the Gwangju YMCA Mujin Hall on the afternoon of the 30th, shouting slogans. Photo by Gwangju City

In particular, the city activated a preemptive emergency response system from the 27th, anticipating heavy snowfall during the holiday period, and established thorough safety measures to prevent accidents caused by snow and ice. Until the heavy snow advisory was lifted on the 29th (as of noon), the city carried out 58 rounds of snow removal (covering 525 routes, 680.4 km) on major arterial roads and habitual icy areas, making every effort to ensure smooth traffic flow and citizen safety. As a result, only minor incidents occurred, including one traffic accident and 14 slip-and-fall accidents.

To accommodate visitors to ancestral graves during the holiday, the city increased the number of trips on city bus route 518, which runs between Gwangju Intercity Bus Terminal and Yeongnak Park, by 30 times on the day of the holiday. The city also distributed 6,500 fresh flowers to visitors at the municipal cemetery, conducting a "Reduce Plastic Flowers Campaign" to decrease plastic waste and promote an eco-friendly memorial culture.

Additionally, during the holiday period, 21 emergency medical institutions and 5 emergency medical facilities provided 24-hour care to minimize any gaps in medical service. The city operated 2,460 open medical institutions and 1,437 open pharmacies to ensure uninterrupted medical services for citizens. To address winter respiratory illnesses such as influenza and COVID-19, 12 fever clinics and 14 partner hospitals were operated, ensuring the health and safety of citizens.

The joint memorial altar for the victims of the Jeju Air passenger plane disaster, set up at Jeonil Building 245, continued to operate, with a total of 460 visitors paying their respects over the past six days.

The city also operated a Traffic Safety Situation Room, a Comprehensive Water Supply Situation Room, a Fuel Supply Situation Room, and a Rapid Response Cleaning Team to ensure citizens experienced no inconvenience in their daily lives.

During this year's Lunar New Year holiday, as of noon on the 30th, there were 10 fires, 40 traffic accidents, and 680 rescue and emergency cases, with three fatalities reported. However, most incidents were minor. The quick response of the 119 emergency teams to various rescue and emergency calls prevented any major accidents.

Meanwhile, Gwangju City established the "2025 Lunar New Year Citizen Life Stability Measures" to ensure that citizens and visitors could enjoy a safe and comfortable holiday. The city promoted 49 tasks in 10 items across 3 areas and operated comprehensive situation rooms in 7 areas (general situation, ancestral rites/medical, transportation, environment/cleaning, citizen safety, fire, and water supply) during the holiday period.

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