Seoul’s New Year’s bell-tolling ceremony to feature ‘Midnight Sun’ installation

This image, provided by the Seoul city government, shows the imagined image of the "Midnight Sun," to be installed as part of the city's New Year's Eve countdown event.

The Seoul city government announced Thursday that this year's bell-tolling ceremony on New Year's Eve will feature the installation of a 12-meter-radius artificial sun in downtown Seoul to mark the new year.

Right after the bell rings 33 times at midnight on Dec. 31, the orb, which is described as a sun-shaped structure, will be lifted 15 meters into the air to signify the rise of a new dawn.

Weighing about 2.5 metric tons, the orb will emit light for three minutes, illuminating the night sky, according to the city.

“When the bell at Bosingak begins to ring, we will showcase the earliest sunrise in the world on Sejong-daero and spread the message of hope to the world through this installation,” city officials said Thursday.

The popular midnight bell-ringing celebration at Bosingak in Jongno in central Seoul on Dec. 31 has been held annually since 1953. The event follows practices from the Joseon era (1392-1910), when the bell was rung 33 times at 4 a.m. to signal the end of the night curfew and the start of the new day. Under the tradition, the ringing of the bell bids farewell to the old year and expresses hope, happiness and expectations for the year to come.

Seoul City will hold the 2024 New Year’s bell-ringing ceremony from 11 p.m. on Sunday to 1 a.m. the next day on a 400-meter stretch of road leading from Bosingak Pavilion to Sejong-daero.

Before the bell rings, the event will start with a street music performance by S.O.S, a traditional Korean music group, at 11 p.m. on Sunday at Bosingak Pavilion, along with a parade featuring traditional Korean plays, including the Talchum mask dance and the Bukcheong sajanoreum lion dance, according to the city officials.

A K-pop concert will follow, with performances by popular K-pop bands, including Enhypen, The Boyz and Oh My Girl.

Meanwhile, the city government selected 18 civic bell ringers to take part in the ceremony at Bosingak Pavilion. They include 18-year-old Yoon Do-il, who risked his life to help others when a knife attack occurred at Seohyeon station in Bundang, Gyeonggi Province, in August and 82-year-old Kim Jeong-ja, the oldest taker of the College Scholastic Ability Test this year.

By Lee Jaeeun(jenn@heraldcorp.com)