The annual New Year's Eve bell-ringing ceremony at the Bosingak Pavilion in central Seoul will be held virtually for the second straight year due to concerns over the spread of COVID-19.
 
According to the Seoul Metropolitan Government on Sunday, the annual event will be aired on major broadcasters and the city government's SNS platforms from 11:30 p.m. on December 31. 
 
Only 14 people will attend the bell-ringing event in person, including Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon and ten representatives from the general public who made great achievements this year, such as archer An San, a triple gold medalist at the Tokyo Olympics.
 
Mayor Oh will reportedly express his gratitude for the city's citizens in the ceremony and will pledge his best effort to ensure the return to normalcy next year.

The city government said that there will be no increase in subway operations or traffic controls around the Bosingak area that day as the bell-ringing event will be held virtually.