This photo, from Oct. 20, 2019, shows visitors walking through silver grass fields at Haneul Park in western Seoul. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Sept. 19 (Korea Bizwire) — A silver grass festival that takes place at a park in western Seoul every fall has been canceled this year amid concerns over the new coronavirus, the Seoul city government said Saturday.
The festival, which draws around 600,000 visitors to Haneul Park in Mapo Ward every year, will instead be showcased through photos and videos on a YouTube channel and a website run by the city government, it said.
In addition to the festival cancellation, the city said it will be closing down Haneul Park from Sept. 26 to Nov. 8 to prevent crowds of people gathering.
The park, whose name means “sky,” is a popular weekend spot, with some 100,000 visiting the park daily during fall to see its vast silver grass fields that span 185,000 square meters.
The city government said Noeul Park, a park adjacent to Haneul Park and named after “sunset” in Korean, will also run on a reduced schedule from Sept. 26.
Peace Park and Nanjicheon Park, also near Haneul Park, will remain open.
Visitors are advised to wear face masks and keep a distance from one another, it added.
(Yonhap)
