Fireworks are seen during the Seoul International Fireworks Festival around Han River Park in Yeouido, western Seoul, on Oct. 8, 2022. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Oct. 11 (Korea Bizwire) — The Seoul International Fireworks Festival was held at Han River Park in Yeouido, Seoul on Saturday.
Hosted by Hanwha Group and sponsored by the Seoul Metropolitan Government, the festival has been held in September or October every year since 2000.
Returning after a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic, the festival was attended by more than 1 million people.
While Seoulites enjoyed the festival, some expressed concern that the lights and noise caused by the fireworks damaged the bird habitat in the area as well as the grass in the park.
Their concerns are based on a precedent in Rome, Italy when hundreds of birds were found dead near a train station in January last year following a fireworks celebration for the New Year.
The International Organization for Animal Protection blamed the New Year’s fireworks for the massacre. Trying to escape the sudden flare and noise of the explosions, the birds flew into glass windows and were killed, the agency claimed.
Similar words of concern were posted on social media platforms and online communities on the day of the fireworks festival in Seoul.
Major websites shared the news article covering the story about the ‘bird massacre’ in Rome.
“Do they really have to put up a fireworks show for the slightest moment of fun?” one of the comments said. “Poor birds,” said another.
This image captured from Twitter shows birds found dead on a Rome street soon after firework displays in the city on Jan. 1, 2022.
On Saturday, more than 100,000 fireworks were set off during the 70-minute show.
The festival used to be held within the area between Wonhyo Bridge and the Hangang Railway Bridge. This year, however, the area was expanded to Mapo Bridge.
The festival was held 1 kilometer closer to Bam Island in the Han River, known as a major habitat for water birds. The number of fireworks that rose above 70 meters jumped by 20 percent.
Bam Island is designated as a Ramsar wetland. It has also been designated by the Seoul Metropolitan Government as a nature reserve, prohibiting the entry of unauthorized personnel.
The Hangang Project Headquarters said there are more than 10,000 birds of 40 different types including endangered species like the white-tailed eagles and sparrow hawks living on the island.
Yeouido’s Saetgang Ecological Park is also home to nine different bird species designated as natural monuments, including Chinese sparrowhawks and five other endangered bird species.
Visitors await the Seoul International Firework Festival at a riverside park in Yeouido, western Seoul, on Oct. 8, 2022. The annual event hosted by Hanwha Group, set to begin at 7 p.m., returned after three years due to the pandemic. (Yonhap)
Representatives of the Seoul Metropolitan Government said that more than 50 tons of trash had been collected in the Yeouido and Ichon Han River parks, following the massive flock of people who gathered there to watch the fireworks, which was 11 percent more than during the 2019 fireworks (45 tons).
“The amount of trash was about seven times higher than what we normally see, but it was still less than expected,” an official at the Hangang Project Headquarters said.
“It’s not just about how much. The trash was well-gathered in designated areas, which made it easier for us to process.”
However, the signs of the aftermath could be found throughout the park. At Ichon Han River Park, located near where the festival was held, a little forest of foxtails had been harshly trampled down as if a hurricane went through.
It was a result of some residents sitting on top of them with mats to watch the festival.
A countless number of foxtails crunched as they were torn down by the people trying to claim their seats for the festival.
Slowly but gradually, people are raising concerns over the hidden side of the vibrant fireworks festival, where life has suffered and perished thanks to human carelessness.
Another incident surrounding the fireworks festival involved an advertisement posted on an online second-hand store looking for people wishing to rent out a room with a spectacular view of the fireworks for four hours at the price of 600,000 won (US$418).
Nearby hotels raised their prices by a couple hundred thousand won for guestrooms with a good view of the fireworks.
H. M. Kang (hmkang@koreabizwire.com)
