Bell-ringing ceremony celebrating March 1 Independence Movement canceled for 2nd year amid pandemic

▲ This March 1, 2021, file photo shows a bell-ringer at Bosingak Pavilion in central Seoul tolling a bell commemorating the 102nd anniversary of the March 1 Independence Movement, historic uprisings against Japan's colonial rule (1910-45), which started in Seoul on March 1, 1919. (Yonhap)

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Bell-ringing ceremony celebrating March 1 Independence Movement canceled for 2nd year amid pandemic

SEOUL, Feb. 28 (Yonhap) -- A bell-striking ceremony celebrating the March 1 Independence Movement anniversary has been canceled for the second consecutive year due to the new coronavirus pandemic, officials said Monday.

The Seoul city government canceled the annual event at Bosingak Pavilion in central Seoul and will instead have a person from the family, known for guarding the pavilion through generations, strike the bell alone to commemorate the 1919 uprising against Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule.

Other programs, such as performances and a street march, were also called off, officials said.

The annual bell-ringing ceremony started in 1946 but was suspended during the 1950-53 Korean War before resuming after the war in 1953.

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