▲ Fireworks go off during the Seoul International Fireworks Festival in Yeouido, Seoul, on Sept. 5, 2026. (Yonhap)
▲ Fireworks go off during the Seoul International Fireworks Festival in Yeouido, Seoul, on Sept. 5, 2026. (Yonhap)
▲ Fireworks go off during the Seoul International Fireworks Festival in Yeouido, Seoul, on Sept. 5, 2026. (Yonhap)

(ATTN: CHANGES headline, lead, photo; UPDATES throughout with conclusion of festival)

SEOUL, Sept. 5 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's largest annual fireworks show took place in Seoul on Saturday, lighting up the skies on this cool early autumn night.

The Seoul International Fireworks Festival, hosted by Hanwha Group, began just past 8 p.m. in Seoul's Yeouido district, with about 530,000 spectators on hand, as estimated by Hanwha and police. This year's show took place about three weeks earlier than in previous years due mainly to the Chuseok fall harvest holiday coming later this month.

Under the theme of "Find Your Light," this year's show featured fireworks teams from three countries -- South Korea's Hanwha Corp., the United States, and Britain. A pre-festival event was also held for the first time in the history of the festival that was launched in 2000.

The British team kickstarted the show, with its fireworks going off to the tune of "Soda Pop" from the original soundtrack of the Netflix megahit, "KPop Demon Hunters." The U.S. team followed with "O Fortuna" playing in the background.

The South Korean team capped off the night with its show for the final 20 or so minutes, drawing oohs and aahs from the tens and thousands of people on hand.

About 6,800 personnel were mobilized to manage crowds and handle emergencies.

The Seoul city government set up a safety headquarters together with the police, fire departments, Hanwha and other relevant agencies to oversee crowds and traffic around the site.

Operational command centers doubling as emergency medical stations were established at six locations across the Yeouido and Ichon neighborhoods, while 45 patrol boats were used to monitor safety on the river.

Additionally, Hanwha monitored real-time crowd density through CCTV cameras in each zone of the festival venue and operated an emergency request feature on the official festival application, Orange Play.

Traffic controls were also enforced, closing Wonhyo Bridge from 9 a.m. until 3 a.m. Sunday, and Yeouidong-ro from 3 p.m. to midnight.

Twenty-four bus routes passing through these restricted sections were temporarily rerouted.

(END)

[ⓒ K-VIBE. 무단전재-재배포 금지]