Han River buses run throughout the holiday; 'sunset map' released

Shade shelters at 11 Han River parks open until 10 p.m.

[Provided by Seoul Metropolitan Government]
[Provided by Seoul Metropolitan Government]

With this year's chuseok holiday spanning just four days, families looking for a nearby outing without traveling far may want to head to the Han River. Visitors can board a Han River bus to catch the sunset or take in the night skyline, and a range of programs — traditional games, performances and outdoor reading — will be on offer throughout the break.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government on Friday announced a lineup of cultural and leisure programs along the Han River for the chuseok holiday, along with practical visitor information.

Those wanting to explore the city can ride the Han River bus, which will operate throughout the entire holiday. The service connects major hubs including Seongsu, Yeouido and Jamsil, offering views of the river's waterfront scenery along the way.

Boarding around sunset is especially recommended for catching the Han River's evening glow. The city recently released a "Han River Sunset Map" featuring 23 prime sunset-viewing spots, including the Yeouido skyline as seen from Nodeul Island, Namsan viewed from the Seongsu Sky Bridge, and the Cheongdam Bridge as seen from the Ttukseom Han River bus pier.

Based on late-September schedules, passengers can watch the sunset from the water by taking the 5:52 p.m. bus toward Magok from Yeouido pier, or the 5:30 p.m. bus toward Yeouido from Jamsil pier.

Families seeking a more relaxed outing can set up at one of the shade shelters in Han River parks and stay through the evening. The city has extended shade shelter hours at 11 Han River parks from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. and expanded the number of designated spots to 20. Delivery zones will also operate at 17 nearby locations.

For a more festive holiday atmosphere, chuseok programs will run Saturday and Sunday at various riverside venues. On Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., the Seoul Warship Park at Mangwon Hangang Park will host a traditional folk play titled "Hyosung-seureo-un Horangi" ("The Filial Tiger"), along with jegi-chagi (hacky sack), yutnori (a board game) and tuho (arrow-tossing).

Visitors can also tour three decommissioned naval vessels — a warship, a patrol boat and a submarine — and hear stories of life at sea from a retired navy colonel.

On Sunday, the last day of the holiday, Banpo Hangang Park will host the "Car-free Jamsu Bridge Walking Festival." The event will feature traditional costumes and folk performances from six countries — South Korea, Argentina, Bulgaria, Russia, Panama and Kazakhstan — along with hanbok rentals and traditional game activities.

Families with children can also visit the "Book-Reading Han River Park" event at Yeouido Hangang Park on the same day. From 2 to 5 p.m., activities will include rice-cake pounding, large-scale yutnori, jegi-chagi, tuho and hanji papermaking.

An outdoor riverside library will stock more than 6,000 books, ranging from bestsellers to tactile books and foreign-language titles. Visitors are free to pick any book and read at leisure with the Han River as their backdrop.

Event schedules, shade shelter and delivery zone locations, and the sunset map are available on the Future Han River Headquarters website, while Han River bus timetables can be found on the Han River bus website.

"We hope families will take advantage of the nearby Han River during the chuseok holiday and enjoy it in many ways — through traditional games, performances, reading and sightseeing around Seoul," said Park Jin-young, head of the Seoul Metropolitan Government's Future Han River Headquarters.


ken@heraldcorp.com