South Korea's New Year's Eve highlights are the Bosingak bell ceremony in Jongno, Seoul, where the bell is struck 33 times at midnight, Busan's Haeundae Beach and Yongdusan Park, and Jeongdongjin on the east coast for the first sunrise. The country welcomes the new year twice: with bells and countdowns on 31 December, and again with Seollal, the Lunar New Year, which falls on 7 February 2027. The December night belongs to the public. In Seoul, crowds of around 100,000 have packed the streets around Bosingak pavilion to hear its bell struck 33 times at midnight, while on the east coast thousands stay up through the night to watch the first sunrise of the year. Plan it well and South Korea gives you a countdown and a dawn ritual you will not find anywhere else.
What follows covers the bell-ringing ceremony and the 2026 renovation caveat, Busan's countdowns at Haeundae and Yongdusan Park, the overnight trips to Jeongdongjin for sunrise, the rules on transport that night, and the cold-weather preparation most visitors underestimate.
New Year 2027 in South Korea at a glance
The signature event is the Bosingak bell, rung 33 times at midnight in Jongno, Seoul. The second ritual is haemaji, watching the first sunrise on 1 January. Busan holds countdown events at Haeundae and Yongdusan Park. Below-freezing temperatures at midnight in Seoul are normal, and line 1 trains skip Jonggak station on the night. 1 January is a public holiday, and Seollal falls on 7 February 2027. The currency is the Korean won (KRW), a T-money card covers transport, and visa or K-ETA rules depend on your passport.
The Bosingak bell-ringing ceremony in Seoul
The Bosingak bell is Seoul's New Year sound. Since 1953 the bell in the pavilion on Jongno has been struck 33 times at midnight on 31 December, a number that echoes the Joseon-era custom of ringing it 33 times at dawn to open the city gates. City officials and selected citizen representatives take turns on the beam, and the ceremony is broadcast live across the country.
The crowd is the experience. Around 100,000 people gather around Bosingak and Gwanghwamun, with stages and light shows filling the road. Police close Jongno to traffic and line 1 trains have skipped Jonggak station on New Year's Eve, so arrive by Jonggak's neighbours (City Hall, Gwanghwamun or Jongno 3-ga) and walk.
One caveat for 2026: travel reports say the Bosingak pavilion has been under renovation in autumn 2026, and the regular citizen bell-ringing programme has been paused. Seoul's city government announces the New Year ceremony arrangements in December. Check that announcement before building your night around Bosingak.
Where to celebrate New Year's Eve in South Korea
In Seoul, crowds of around 100,000 gather in Jongno and Gwanghwamun for the Bosingak bell and city countdowns. Busan celebrates at the Haeundae Light Festival countdown and the Yongdusan Park bell ceremony, and thousands travel to Jeongdongjin in Gangneung to watch haemaji, the first sunrise of the year.
Seoul: Jongno, Gwanghwamun and the city countdowns
Most visitors combine the bell with the Gwanghwamun Square area just to the west, where the city has run free countdown stages and media-façade light shows in recent years. Arrive by 22:00 from City Hall, Gwanghwamun or Jongno 3-ga station if you want to stand within sight of the pavilion; by 23:30 the streets near the bell are shoulder to shoulder. This is the classic Korean countdown.
Other neighbourhoods host their own events, and nightlife districts such as Hongdae and Itaewon run club countdowns that go on long after the bell. Programmes change every year, so confirm them close to the date.
Busan: Haeundae Beach and Yongdusan Park
Two places carry Busan's New Year. Haeundae Beach hosts the Haeundae Light Festival, which runs from late November into January, with its New Year countdown on the beach as the highlight. Yongdusan Park, above the Nampo-dong shopping streets, holds the Busan Citizens' Bell ceremony: it runs from late evening past midnight with a year-end concert, countdown, bell-ringing by citizens chosen for their contribution to the city, and fireworks.
Busan, about 2.5 to 3 hours from Seoul by KTX, is milder than the capital in winter, and its beaches face the sea for the sunrise the next morning. Many people watch the countdown at Haeundae, then stay for dawn on the same beach, which makes it the place to get both in one spot. Stay in Haeundae or Nampo-dong.
Jeongdongjin and the east coast: the first sunrise
Haemaji, watching the first sunrise of the year, is one of the most popular Korean New Year traditions, and Jeongdongjin in Gangneung is the classic place to do it. The Jeongdongjin Sunrise Festival runs at Sandglass Park, where a 40-tonne sand hourglass is turned at midnight to mark the new year, followed by a countdown and fireworks. Around 100,000 people visit Jeongdongjin on 1 January.
Take the KTX to Gangneung or join one of the overnight tours from Seoul that leave on the evening of 31 December; special trains and buses add capacity. Sunrise comes after 7 am, so you arrive in the dark. Homigot in Pohang, on the far eastern tip of the peninsula, is the other famous sunrise point. Both places are packed, and dawn is bitterly cold on the coast, so bring thermal layers and hand warmers. It is the trip for travellers who want a Korean ritual.
New Year customs in Korea: December versus Seollal
The 31 December celebration is modern and public. Seollal is the family festival: people travel home, perform ancestral rites (charye), bow to elders in the sebae ritual and receive gifts of money, and eat tteokguk, a soup of sliced rice cakes that symbolically adds a year to your age. Many families eat tteokguk on 1 January too.
For travellers this has a practical side. The days around 31 December are a normal holiday period with busy cities, while Seollal (6 to 9 February 2027, with Seollal day on 7 February) sees huge domestic travel, sold-out trains and closed shops. If you want both experiences, book transport for Seollal far ahead.
Seoul, Busan and the east coast compared
| Destination | Midnight event | Sunrise option | Winter weather | Travel time from Seoul |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seoul (Jongno) | Bosingak bell, city countdown | Namsan or Achasan in the city | Coldest, often below freezing | None |
| Busan (Haeundae) | Light festival countdown | Haeundae Beach | Milder | About 2.5 to 3 hours by KTX |
| Gangneung (Jeongdongjin) | Hourglass turning and fireworks | Jeongdongjin Beach | Cold, windy coast | About 2 hours by KTX |
| Pohang (Homigot) | Local events | Homigot, the peninsula's eastern tip | Cold, windy coast | Several hours |
Before you join a Korean New Year crowd: Crowd safety is taken seriously in Korea, and police set up one-way routes and barriers around Bosingak and Gwanghwamun. Follow marshals' directions and avoid narrow side streets when the crowd moves after midnight.
Midnight temperatures in Seoul are often several degrees below zero. Standing still for two hours in that cold is harder than it sounds; wear thermal base layers, a hat and gloves, and carry hand warmers sold at convenience stores.
Subway and bus schedules change on the night. Check the Seoul Metro and city announcements for extended services and closed stations.
Where to stay for New Year's Eve in Seoul and Busan
For the Bosingak bell, stay in Jongno or around Gwanghwamun. Hotels within walking distance of Jonggak let you join the crowd late, warm up between events, and walk back after the 33 strokes without fighting for space on the subway. Myeong-dong and the City Hall area are a short walk further south and offer more hotel choice at every price level. Insadong and Ikseon-dong add guesthouses and hanok stays close to the bell.
In Busan, choose Haeundae for the beach countdown and the first sunrise on the same stretch of sand, with hotels right on the beachfront. Nampo-dong and Jung-gu are the base for Yongdusan Park. For the east coast sunrise at Jeongdongjin, book months ahead: rooms are limited and the sunrise trains and buses arrive full.
One practical point for Seoul: for the countdown to 2026, Jongno between Sejong-daero and Jongno 2-ga, Cheonggyebuk-ro and Ujeongguk-ro were fully closed to traffic from 18:00 on 31 December until 07:00 on 1 January. A hotel on those streets is easy to walk to but impossible to reach by taxi in the evening, so check in during the afternoon.
Getting home after midnight in Seoul
Subway service runs late on New Year's Eve. In recent years trains on the main lines have run until about 2am on 1 January, with extra trains added, and city buses near the Bosingak area have also stayed in service later than usual. Check Seoul Metropolitan Government's notice in late December for the 2026 times. Line 1 trains skip Jonggak station during the event, so walk to Jonggak's neighbours such as City Hall or Jongno 3-ga. Taxis are hard to find in the hour after midnight; taxi apps such as Kakao T, or its visitor version K.Ride, which accepts foreign cards, work, but expect a long wait.
The official figures for the countdown to 2026 show the pattern to expect. Last trains on Lines 1 to 9, the Ui-Sinseol Line and the Sillim Line ran one hour later than usual, until about 02:00, with 104 extra trips. Trains passed through Jonggak without stopping from 23:00 to 01:00, and 45 bus routes through the event area ran until about 02:00. The ceremony itself ran from 22:50 to 00:20, so leaving straight after the bell gives you more than an hour to reach your line.
What New Year's Eve in South Korea costs
Prices as of October 2026
| Item | What to expect | How to keep it down |
|---|---|---|
| Bosingak bell ceremony | Free to watch from the street | Arrive by 22:00 and dress for well below freezing |
| Hotel nights | Rooms near Jongno, Haeundae and east coast sunrise spots rise for 31 December | Book early, especially for sunrise towns |
| Hotel countdown parties | Ticketed packages at major hotels with set menus | Compare inclusions; some end before midnight |
| Sunrise trips | Special trains and tour buses to the east coast sell out | Book as soon as sales open |
| Transport | Subway fares unchanged; trains run later than normal | Top up your T-money card in advance |
Getting around Seoul stays cheap on the night. Since 28 June 2025 the adult base subway fare has been 1,550 won with a transport card, so a ride home from the bell costs about one US dollar. The bell ceremony is free and Seoul City runs information booths near the site that double as cold shelters and first-aid points, at Jongno Tower, the Jeil Bank building and the Youngpoong Building. The real spending goes on the hotel night and any sunrise trip to the east coast, both of which should be booked early.
Practical tips for New Year's Eve in South Korea
Entry rules vary: some passport holders need a visa, others an approved K-ETA, and some are temporarily exempt, so check Korea's official K-ETA and visa portals before you book. Incheon International Airport is one of Asia's major hubs; compare fares to Seoul on our flight search. Hotels within walking distance of Bosingak or Haeundae fill fast for 31 December, so compare options on our hotel search early, and reserve KTX seats to Gangneung and Busan as soon as sales open, because they sell out for the New Year weekend.
A rechargeable T-money card works on subways and buses across Korea and in convenience stores. Many restaurants serve tteokguk around New Year, the rice-cake soup Koreans associate with starting the year.
For a Seoul-focused trip, see our Seoul city page for neighbourhoods and stays, and compare other countdown cities in our guide to New Year's Eve destinations worldwide.
Before booking, check our tips on keeping New Year travel affordable, including the cheapest days to fly and the hotel rules to look for.
Planning a trip to South Korea? Read our South Korea travel guide or search flights.
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