With the spring festival being canceled nationwide to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (Corona 19), there is a controversy over the’lottery’ in Seoul. As a notice came up that over 3,500 visitors would be selected through a lottery at the Yeouido Cherry Blossom Festival, a representative spring festival in Seoul.
On the 22nd, Yeongdeungpo-gu announced that it will hold a spring flower walk for 7 days from April 5 to 11, and operates 7 times every 1 hour and 30 minutes from 11:00 to 21:30 every day. Provided by Yeongdeungpo-gu Office
3,500 people lottery to see cherry blossoms… Up to 99 people per car
Earlier, on the 22nd, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, announced on the 22nd that it would completely control the 1.7km spring flower path to Yeouiseo, behind the National Assembly Building, for 12 days from April 1, which is the cherry blossom flowering period. In the control section, only about 3,500 people selected in the lottery can be viewed. For this, you must apply in advance on the online Spring Flower Festival website.
Cherry blossom viewing is held for 7 days from April 5th to 11th. It takes place 7 times a day at intervals of 1 hour and 30 minutes from 11 am to 9:30 pm. Up to 99 people can enter each event, including those involved in the event. An official from Yeongdeungpo-gu explained, “The district made its own personnel plan and submitted it to the city of Seoul and received support through deliberation.” Each person can enjoy cherry blossom viewing with up to 3 companions.
On the 22nd, Yeongdeungpo-gu announced that it would completely control the spring flower path (1.7km) from the southern end of Seogang Bridge to the intersection of the Assembly Hall. Traffic control takes place from April 1st to 12th, and the pedestrian path control period is from the 2nd to the 12th. Provided by Yeongdeungpo-gu Office
“Why is the lottery…I wonder if the lottery will be fair?”
Citizens’ reactions over the’cherry blossom viewing lottery’ were mixed. “There are still 300~400 confirmed patients every day,” said a 28-year-old office worker. “I have to close them all to close it. Why is the lottery?” On the other hand, Citizen A welcomed the decision of Yeongdeungpo-gu, saying, “If you tell me not to come to the Cherry Blossom Festival, you will be driven anyway, but if you follow the quarantine rules well, it is better to stop it at all.” Kang Mo (30) said, “Only those who have fallen from the lottery will feel deprived.
Sungkyunkwan University Sociology Professor Koo Jeong-woo diagnosed, “As the increased fatigue of K quarantine and a series of events such as LH are combined in a comprehensive manner, distrust in the government is reflected, and there seems to be a situation in which even a reasonable system is not believed and a problem is raised. Regarding this, an official in Yeongdeungpo-gu explained, “There will be no preferential treatment to anyone, and we will randomly conduct a random lottery.”
“The cherry blossom viewing ticket will be sold for 300,000 won”… “identification”
On the other hand, it was predicted that those who got a chance to see through a lottery online will resell. Some netizens were concerned with comments such as, “I sell cherry blossom tickets for 300,000 won”, “It seems to be posted on the carrot market or second-hand country”, and “I will resell the cherry blossom festival.”
Regarding this, Eunhee Lee, professor of consumer science at Inha University, said, “The limited number of 3,500 people gives the value of scarcity, so that a structure in which the winners can sell with more money.” He explained, “In the past, there were not many sales routes, but reselling was activated as the exchange between suppliers and consumers became smoother due to the spread of users in the carrot market.”
Regarding the concern about reselling, an official in Yeongdeungpo said, “There is an identity verification procedure on site,” and “We will build an internal system to prevent the QR code from being duplicated, so it will be difficult to enter with a ticket obtained through a transaction unless the name or ID is stolen. “I dismissed the concern.
On the 22nd, in an online cafe, netizens left comments on the announcement of the Yeouido Cherry Blossom Festival. Online cafe capture
Even when the flower festival is canceled, crowds flock
On the 21st, citizens are enjoying the spirit of spring while walking under the cherry blossoms in full bloom at Oncheoncheon, Yeonje-gu, Busan. Reporter Song Bong-geun
Most of the flower festivals held every year from March to April have been canceled. ‘Jinhae Gunhang Festival’ and’Gyeongju Cherry Blossom Festival’, which are called the nation’s largest spring flower festivals, were also recently canceled. However, Sangchun customers are flocking. The’Gwangyang Plum Festival’ was canceled this year, but about 91,500 people visited on the weekend of the past 13-14.
Eun-mi Cheon, a professor of respiratory medicine at Ewha Womans University Mokdong Hospital, said, “Since cherry blossom viewing is mainly performed outdoors, the risk of infection is lower compared to indoors, but wearing a KF mask and keeping a distance of about 1~2m should be kept well.” . Prof. Chun also said, “If you eat food, you will wear a mask, so you should refrain as much as possible, and you should be careful even if you do not have symptoms, considering that there are many asymptomatic transmissions among people in their 20s and 30s.”
Reporter Ham Min-jung [email protected]
