The first sunrise of the New Year rising over Ganjeolgot in Ulju County, Ulsan — the earliest point on the Korean Peninsula’s mainland to see the sunrise.
ULSAN, Dec. 22 (Korea Bizwire) — Ulsan’s Ulju County will ring in the new year with a large-scale sunrise celebration at Ganjeolgot Cape, hosting a two-day festival from Dec. 31 through Jan. 1 to mark what is widely known as the first sunrise on the Korean Peninsula.
County officials said preparations were finalized this week for the “2026 Ganjeolgot Sunrise Festival,” themed “Ganjeolgot, Opening the First Morning of the Peninsula.” The event will begin on New Year’s Eve with a year-end concert featuring performances by local artists and popular singers, followed by a midnight countdown marking the close of 2025.
A nighttime landscape exhibition titled Jeokseol has opened at Ganjeolgot, one of Ulsan’s landmark tourist attractions. Set against Ganjeolgot, where the first sunrise of the New Year can be seen on the Korean Peninsula, the event visually interprets the dual meaning of its name—‘white’ (snow) and ‘red’—by blending snow-like white scenery with red-toned lighting.
Festivities will resume before dawn on New Year’s Day, highlighted by Ulsan’s largest-ever drone light show, involving 1,500 drones, alongside fireworks beginning at 5 a.m. As the sun rises, visitors will take part in ceremonial performances, wish-sharing events and a countdown welcoming the first light of 2026.
The festival will also feature nighttime light installations and media art displays, exhibitions from Ulju’s public art project, and a range of side events including the sharing of traditional rice cake soup, cultural experience booths and food trucks.
A drone show featuring 1,000 drones is held during a New Year’s sunrise event at Ganjeolgot in Ulju County, Ulsan, on the morning of January 1 last year, where the first sunrise of the year can be seen on the Korean Peninsula’s mainland.
Anticipating large crowds, local authorities have put comprehensive safety measures in place, including crowd control, restricted access to high-risk areas and emergency response teams. Maritime police will also be deployed to manage vessel traffic and respond to potential incidents at sea.
Ulju County in Ulsan announced on December 17 that Ganjeolru (艮絶樓), a public architectural structure built at Ganjeolgot—Ulsan’s iconic sunrise tourism landmark—has won both the main prize and the bronze award in the architecture category at the 2025 International Design Awards (IDA).
Ulju County Mayor Lee Soon-gul said the administration’s top priority was ensuring public safety. “We will do everything possible to prevent accidents and manage the event safely,” he said, inviting visitors to welcome the new year at Ganjeolgot, a site long associated with hope and renewal.
Ulju County in Ulsan announced on December 17 that Ganjeolru (艮絶樓), a public architectural structure built at Ganjeolgot—Ulsan’s iconic sunrise tourism landmark—has won both the main prize and the bronze award in the architecture category at the 2025 International Design Awards (IDA).
Image credit: Yonhap, Ulju County / photonews@koreabizwire.com
