Road Closures Expected Throughout Seoul for International Fireworks Festival...Traffic Congestion Anticipated

Full Traffic Restrictions on Yeouidong-ro and Wonhyo Bridge on September 5

Sectional Closures on Sejong-daero, Eulji-ro, and Cheonggyecheon-ro on September 6

This weekend, major roads in central Seoul will be subject to traffic controls as the Seoul International Fireworks Festival and a marathon event take place in the city.

Facilities were installed on June 2 at Yeouido Hangang Park in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, ahead of the '2026 Seoul International Fireworks Festival.' Photo by Yonhap News

The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency announced on September 4 that it will implement traffic management measures for the "2026 Seoul International Fireworks Festival," to be held on Saturday in the Yeouido area of Yeongdeungpo-gu, and the "Seoul Tour Marathon" on Sunday at Seoul City Hall Plaza in Jung-gu.

The main event of the International Fireworks Festival will take place from 1:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. on September 5 in the Yeouido area of Yeongdeungpo-gu. On the day of the event, Wonhyo Bridge will be completely closed to vehicular traffic in both directions from 9:00 a.m. until 3:00 a.m. the next day for fireworks installation and dismantling. Yeouidong-ro, from the southern end of Mapo Bridge to the 63 Building section, will also be entirely closed to vehicles from 3:00 p.m. until midnight. At six checkpoints, including Yeouinaru-ro, only vehicles belonging to local residents and event staff will be selectively permitted to pass.

The police will strengthen enforcement, including towing, against illegally parked vehicles on Han River bridges and arterial roads such as Gangbyeonbuk-ro and Olympic-daero. After the event, traffic will be managed on Yeouinaru-ro with a priority on pedestrian safety, and one lane in each direction under Mapo Bridge and Hangang Bridge will be restricted to provide additional space for pedestrians.

On September 6, major downtown roads will be controlled for the marathon event starting from Seoul City Hall Plaza in Jung-gu. The marathon will take place from 5:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., following a route through Sejong-daero Intersection, Jongno, Eulji-ro, and Cheonggyecheon-ro, before looping back to Mugyo-ro.

Traffic from Sejong Intersection towards Sungnyemun Intersection will be restricted from 6:30 a.m. to 8:50 a.m., while traffic from Sejong Intersection towards Heunginjimun Intersection will be restricted from 6:30 a.m. to 9:15 a.m. The section of Eulji-ro between Euljiro 1-ga Intersection and Euljiro 3-ga Intersection will be closed from 7:40 a.m. to 9:10 a.m. In the Cheonggyecheon-ro area, vehicle access will be flexibly restricted according to marathon runner movement from 7:45 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.

To minimize traffic congestion caused by the weekend events, the police plan to deploy 1,610 officers, including traffic police and model drivers, around the event venues to manage vehicle flow.

A police official stated, "As traffic congestion is anticipated, we recommend using public transportation if possible and checking traffic information in advance if you plan to drive."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.