People rush to celebrate start of New Year despite freezing temperatures 상세내용
Subject
People rush to celebrate start of New Year despite freezing temperatures
date
2008-01-02 00:00:00
일반게시판
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People gathered at Cheonggyecheon Stream of Gwanghwamun Square, downtown Seoul.Millions of people in Korea are expected to gather in urban centers, mountains and beaches across the nation Monday (Dec. 31) to mark the start of 2008, braving freezing temperatures which sent the mercury plunging to its lowest point this winter.
Police said Monday more than 2 million people will gather in 123 different places nationwide to celebrate the New Year’s coming.
There is expected to be an increase of 22 percent in the crowds as many of them took a day off Monday to have consecutive holidays till New Year’s Day, a police official said.
Seoul’s metropolitan government said it will host its annual Boshingak bell ringing ceremony at midnight on Monday in the center of the capital, with as many as 150,000 citizens, including ranking government officials, business leaders and celebrities, expected to attend.
Boshingak, made in 1468, is the largest pavilion among the country’s national treasures. Now located in Seoul’s Jongno district, the bell will be rung 33 times to greet the New Year.
During the Joseon Dynasty, the Boshingak bell used to ring 33 times at 4 a.m. everyday to signal the opening of the four gates surrounding Seoul.
The nation’s major highways started to be jammed in late afternoon with cars carrying holiday makers to resort areas. The majority of them were heading to eastern and southern coastal areas, hoping to catch the first daybreak of 2008. Heavy snow currently blanketing the western part of Korea is disrupting flights and highway traffic, officials said.
Others are flocking to ski resorts in the eastern mountainous Gangwon-do (Gangwon Province). The police estimated 800,000 people will wait to see the sunrise in Busan, the nation’s largest port city in the south, while 150,000 are expected at Kyongpo Beach in Gangwon-do and 100,000 in Pohang, a southeastern port city in Gyeongsangbuk-do (North Gyeongsang Province).
More than 40,000 skiers are expected to visit the major ski resorts in Gangwon-do, the officials said.
As the festive mood in the nation mounted, revelers prepared to attend a variety of ceremonies and events, including parades, fireworks and traditional cultural perances that last until early Monday, according to the event organizers.
