Seoul Walk: Lantern Festival | Gwanghwamun Square Market | Seoul Light

The Seoul Lantern Festival is an annual winter event that brings hundreds of thousands of people to central Seoul for a night time spectacle. It started on Cheonggye Stream in 2009 and ran for just a few days. In 2010, it was extended to over two weeks.

In 2022, the Lantern Festival included Gwanghwamun Square, which had reopened a few months earlier after a redevelopment project to expand its area. The festival was extended to a month. Gwanghwamun Square Market, a Christmas Market, was established that year and runs during the same time period, along with Seoul Light Gwanghwa, a spectacular light show projected on Gwanghwa Gate.

This year, these and other events happening around the same time are branded as the Seoul Winta Festa 2023. I didn't attend any of these events last year, but this year I decided to check out the expanded Lantern Festival and film a walk while I was there.

We start at Cheonggye Stream near the Supyo Bridge. From there, we head to Cheonggyecheon Plaza, then follow Sejong-daero to Gwanghwamun Square. A run of the Seoul Light show is just getting started as we approach the north end of the square.

I ended up filming the entirety of the light show, but it was 30 minutes long! So I cut it down to a few highlights for the published video.

Enjoy!

META:
I filmed this on the night of December 29, 2023, in 4K@60 with an iPhone 14 Pro mounted on a DJI OM 5 gimbal. The temperature was ~0°C/32°F when I started, and a little colder when I finished. I edited and rendered with DaVinci Resolve Studio 18.6.

CHAPTERS:
00:00 Cheonggyecheon (Cheonggye Stream)
20:14 Cheonggyecheon Plaza
23:35 Sejong-daero
27:58 Gwanghwamun Square
54:35 Gwanghwamun | Seoul Light