Annual lantern festival under way with 30,000 lamps lighting up central Seoul

People stroll around at Seoul Lantern Festival which will last until Nov. 17 along the Chonggyechon Stream in Seoul, capital of South Korea, Oct. 31, 2013. (Xinhua/NEWSis)

The annual Seoul Lantern Festival kicks off in central Seoul on Novemver 1, with 30,000 colored lanterns lighting up Cheonggye Stream in central Seoul. Seoul Metropolitan Government unveiled program details of the lantern festival to be held for 17 days from Friday.

The organizing committee of the 2013 Seoul Lantern Festival said this year’s event will have the theme of “One Thousand Years’ Dream of Baekje (BC 18- AD660),” one of the three ancient kingdoms along with Goguryeo and Silla on the Korean Peninsula. The territory of the ancient kingdom used to stretch over the central and southwest of the peninsula.

A couple looks at lanterns lit on the eve of Seoul Lantern Festival, which will be held from Nov. 1-17, along Cheonggye stream in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, Oct. 31, 2013. (AP/NEWSis)

“As this year marks the fifth anniversary, Seoul City, along with the two local cities, will decorate the 0.9 kilometer waterway following the Cheonggye Stream with 30,000 magnificent lanterns. These lanterns represent the history and legacy of the ancient kingdom,” it said in a press release. Seoul City set up a huge lantern at the Cheonggy Plaza on the mouth of the stream. The hawk lantern represents the bravery of Baekje’s people, it said.

The following 309-meter zone connecting Mojeon Bridge and Gwanggyo Bridge along the stream will showcase lanterns featuring the spirits of Baekje kings and the kingdom’s active maritime trade, the city said.