With the opening of the 2019 Yeon Deung Hoe (Lotus Lantern Festival), Seoul will close off all lanes from the Sejong-daero Intersection to the Heunginjimun Gate, and Jangchungdan-ro, in stages, from 1:00 p.m. on May 4 to 3:00 a.m. on May 5, 2019 for the lantern parade and movement of movable Jongno Central Bus Stop.
Plans for Traffic Control
| Control Day and Time | Control Sections | Control Method | |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 4 | 1:00 p.m. – May 5, 3:00 a.m. | Jongno (Heunginjimun Gate ↔ Jongno 1-ga) | Complete control of both sides of the streets |
| 5.4 | 6:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. | Jangchungdan-ro (in front of Dongguk Univ. ↔Heunginjimun Gate) | |
| 5.4 | 6:00 p.m. – May 5, 1:00 a.m. | Jongno (Sejong-daero intersection ↔ Jongno 1-ga intersection) Ujeongguk-ro (Anguk intersection ↔ Jongno 1-ga intersection) | |
| May 5 | 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 a.m. (midnight) | Ujeongguk-ro (Anguk intersection ↔ Jongno 1-ga intersection) | |
“Yeon Deung Hoe” (Lotus Lantern Festival), National Intangible Cultural Heritage No. 122, will open throughout Jogyesa Temple on Ujeongguk-ro and in Jongno for three days, from May 3 – 5, 2019. This year, Seoul will host the “Exhibition of Traditional Lanterns (along Cheonggyecheon Stream),” “Eoulim Madang (Dongguk Univ.),” “Lantern Parade (throughout Jongno),” “Hoehyang Hanmadang (Jonggak Intersection),” and other various cultural events.
Yeon Deung Hoe is Korea’s traditional cultural lantern festival that has been passed down for 1,200 years from Unified Silla. It was designated as National Intangible Cultural Heritage No. 122 in 2012. Additionally, the Yeon Deung Hoe Preservation Committee has sponsored Yeon Deung Hoe while training successors in order to pass down and preserve Yeon Deung Hoe, and opening traditional lantern production classes, international symposiums, and more.
The main event, “Lantern Parade,” will take place on May 4 from 7:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., starting at Heunginjimun Gate and ending at Jogyesa Temple. This year’s parade will take place with the theme, “Lighting Up Seoul with a Parade of 100,000 Lanterns.” Anyone can participate in the Lantern Parade and watch the parade from viewing sections installed along Jongno.
At the end of the Lantern Parade, between 9:30 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. on May 4, the Hoehyang Hanmadang will take place at the Jonggak Intersection. Those who participate in the Lantern Parade can join together to enjoy flowers raining from the sky, along with Ganggangsulae, Daedong Nori, and more.
On May 5, there will be 120 booths of traditional cultural events in front of Jogyesa Temple. These events will consist of various experiential programs for children and the whole family in light of Children’s Day.
Seoul will be running inspections of facilities related to the Jongno central bus lanes and carry out Jongno Central Bus Station movement work for safe operation of the Lantern Parade. These preventative measures will be taken as large-scale participation by various age groups, from young children to the old and weak, is expected in this year’s Lantern Parade.
Bus routes that pass through Jongno will be in operation, but will be making detours. Those wishing to move through Jongno will need to stop at a nearby bus stop and walk or take the subway, as bus stops in the parade section will be closed.
Source: Seoul Metropolitan Government
