By Xu Aiying
Video = Official YouTube channel of Seoul Metropolitan Government's Culture HQ
"Midnight Sun," a massive structure shaped like the sun with a diameter of 12 m, on Jan. 1 at midnight will rise on Sejong-daero Road right after the annual ringing of the Bosingak Belfry in downtown Seoul to mark the new year.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government on Dec. 26 said it will host the "2023 New Year's Eve Bell Countdown" on Dec. 31 from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m. on New Year's Day between Bosingak and Sejong-daero.
Spanning 400 m between Bosingak and the road, the area will showcase plenty of sights and sounds like preliminary performances, street entertainment, New Year's Eve countdown and New Year's celebratory events.
Scheduled on a makeshift stage installed in front of Bosingak, the preliminary performances will see the fusion gugak (traditional music) group S.O.S (Season of Soul) putting on a fusion show featuring the sounds of the gayageum (traditional 12-string zither), daegeum (bamboo flute), violin and pansori (traditional lyrical opera).
The street performances are scheduled at three sections between Bosingak and Sejong-daero featuring message flag performances, talnori (traditional mask play), Lion Mask Dance of Bukcheong and a series of nongak (traditional farmer's music) plays.
"Midnight Sun," a large structure shaped like the sun with a diameter of 12 m, on Jan. 1 at midnight will rise at a New Year's Day event between the Bosingak Belfy and Sejong-daero Road in Seoul's Jongno-gu District. (Seoul Metropolitan Government)
After the performances, "Midnight Sun" will rise on Sejong-daero after the annual ringing of the Bosingak Belfry to mark the arrival of 2024.
The massive structure with a diameter of 12 meters will convey a message of hope through the spectacle of the lifting of darkness and the dawn of a new year.
As "Midnight Sun" rises to usher in 2024, celebratory performances will begin at the countdown stage on Sejong-daero featuring K-pop acts like ENHYPEN, The Boyz and OH MY GIRL. No preregistration is needed to see these groups.
The countdown will be broadcast live on jumbotrons at three locations -- Bosingak, Dongdaemun Design Plaza and Sejong-daero -- and can also be viewed on Live Seoul, a livestream YouTube channel run by the city.
xuaiy@korea.kr
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