The Seoul International Fireworks Festival will be held on Oct. 5 at Yeouido Hanggang Park in the capital. Shown is a scene from last year's event. (Hanwha Group)

By Koh Hyunjeong

The Seoul International Fireworks Festival and the Seoul Light Hangang Bitseom Festival will both be held this weekend at Yeouido Hangang Park.

Marking its 20th anniversary, the fireworks event on Oct. 5 from 7 p.m. will dazzle the night sky for 90 minutes under the theme "Light Up Your Dream."

Nearly a million people are expected to attend, a figure similar to last year's event. 

Opening a day earlier on Oct. 4 is the second edition of the light festival for a 10-day run. Between 6:30 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. nightly until Oct. 13, Yeouido Hangang Park will host a show combining laser and media art. 

Three thousand people also applied for the festival's "Light Run" on Oct. 12 in which runners along the riverside park carry light sticks.

Given the expected large crowds, the Seoul Metropolitan Government is taking comprehensive safety measures like raising the number of related staff 28% from last year's events.

From 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Oct. 5, the area surrounding the venue, Yeouidodong-ro (south side of Mapo Bridge to 63 Square), will be closed to traffic. Instead, all 19 bus routes passing through Yeouido -- 14 city, two village, one airport and two Gyeonggi-do Province buses -- will run as usual.

On Oct. 5, 18 extra trains will run on Subway Line 5 from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. and 52 on Line 9 from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. Yeoinaru Station, next to the festival venue, might either be closed or have trains bypass it depending on the situation.

Click https://www.hanwhafireworks.com for more information on the fireworks festival and https://bitseomfestival.com for that on the lighting event.

hjkoh@korea.kr