Seoul International Fireworks Festival 2026 to Be Held Today; Police Mount All-Out Safety Response

[Financial News] Police will mount an all-out response across all areas of public safety, including security management, at the Seoul International Fireworks Festival 2026, which will be held in Seoul’s Yeouido on the 5th. The on-site command will be elevated to the deputy chief of public safety to strengthen safety management. In addition to crowd control, authorities will implement measures covering counterterrorism, fireworks management, enforcement against illegal parking and stopping, responses to abnormal-motive crimes, and crackdowns on ticket scalping and the collection of fees for viewing spots.
The police special operations unit will conduct a preliminary search of the venue before the event for suspected explosive devices and other threats. Vehicle barricades will also be installed at key locations to prepare for vehicle attacks.
If a bombing threat is reported, the joint analysis and response team comprising counterterrorism, criminal investigation, and 112 units will assess the level of risk. In cooperation with the organizers, it will evacuate spectators to a safe location, inspect the suspected area, and control the site to prevent further danger.
From the transportation and installation of fireworks through the end of the event, police will strengthen patrols in coordination with the local police substations. On the day of the event, they will also operate a fireworks safety control room and conduct activities to prevent safety accidents.
To prevent vehicles from stopping or parking on roads to watch the fireworks, police cars and police motorcycles will be stationed at major viewing points, including the automobile-only roads Olympic-daero and Gangbyeonbuk-ro and the Hangang River bridges—Yanghwa Bridge, Seogang Bridge, Mapo Bridge, Hangang Bridge, and Dongjak Bridge. The measure is intended to prevent traffic congestion and safety accidents.
The Hangang River Police Unit will deploy five patrol boats to prevent vessels from entering the area between Mapo Bridge and Hangang Bridge. It will also prepare for safety accidents on the water.
Police will also crack down on ticket scalping and the collection of fees for viewing spots.
The Metropolitan Preventive Patrol Unit and public-order officers will conduct enforcement at the site. A dedicated investigative team will operate to prevent fraudulent ticket reservations made using macros.
Twelve criminal investigation teams and vehicles from the criminal mobile unit will be prominently deployed in crowded areas of the venue and in blind spots not covered by closed-circuit television cameras. They will respond to abnormal-motive crimes, including crimes involving weapons.
Police will also begin restricting vehicle traffic from the afternoon of the fireworks festival.
Vehicle traffic on Yeouidong-ro, from the southern end of Mapo Bridge to the 63 Building, will be completely restricted from the afternoon until midnight. Wonhyo Bridge will be fully closed to vehicles in both directions from 9 a.m. that day until 3 a.m. on the following day, the 6th.
Yeouinaru Station trains will pass through without stopping for three hours, from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.
[email protected] Park So-hyun Reporter