Seoul was abuzz with “2011 Year of the Hare Sunrise” events that occurred across 16 mountains and park sites early morning on January 1, Seoul City said.

It boasted that Namsan (Mt.), Inwangsan (Mt.), Naksan (Mt.) and Dongmangbong at the heart of the nation’s capital had all served as ideal locations for appreciating the New Year’s first sunrise. Other popular places around Seoul to witness the first sunrise were Seodaemun’s Ansan (Mt.), Bugaksan (Mt.), Gaeunsan (Mt.), Eungbongsan (Mt.), Baengnyeonsan (Mt.), Gungsan (Mt.), and Yongwangsan (Mt.).
Celebrated mountains on the outskirts of Seoul had also enjoyed a renewed status as noted locations for viewing the sunrise. Achasan (Mt.) and Yongmasan (Mt.), for instance, have long been treasured sites for enjoying the scenic beauty of the city sunrise in the eastern part of Seoul. Bukhansan National Park, Gwanaksan (Mt.), Yeonjudae, Cheonggyesan (Mt.), Umyeonsan (Mt.), Daemosan (Mt.), Suraksan (Mt.), Buramsan (Mt.), and Iljasan (Mt.) had also been a riot for many visitors.


Parks around the city also resonated with the ecstatic voices of the early-morning visitors seeking to soak in the first sunrise. The peak in Haneul Park in Mapo-gu’s Sangam-dong area and the Mangwolbong in Olympic Park in the Songpa-gu district are two such examples.

* Government press release (January 13)