The 2026 Seoul World Fireworks Festival, hosted by Hanwha, concluded safely, but a video showing fireworks seemingly falling near the crowd has sparked controversy over its authenticity.
On September 7, a video titled "A Close Call at the Yeouido Fireworks Festival" was posted on an online community.
The footage appears to show fireworks falling in an area where general spectators are restricted. Notably, the video captures people quickly moving away as the fireworks hit the ground.
Viewers have expressed mixed opinions on whether the video is real or generated by artificial intelligence (AI). Comments included, "It can't be AI, right? It looks like AI these days," and "If something like this happened, it would have caused a huge uproar, so it can't be real, right?" Some users speculated whether the footage was taken from a restricted area.
Concerns were also raised about crowd control at the event. One user noted, "I saw people setting up blankets in areas that were clearly marked as off-limits."
It remains unclear whether the widely circulated video is authentic or AI-generated, but many viewers lean towards the latter.
Meanwhile, the Seoul World Fireworks Festival took place on September 5 at Yeouido Hangang Park, attracting approximately 1 million spectators. Hanwha Group covered the festival's operating costs, totaling about 13 billion won, with around 4.5 billion won allocated for safety management.
Kim Seung-yeon, chairman of Hanwha Group, emphasized the company's commitment to expanding the festival so that more citizens can enjoy it. He stated, "The reason Hanwha launches fireworks into the sky is to share happiness with everyone looking up at the sky."
The spread of this video has heightened awareness of the importance of crowd control, safety management, and adherence to restricted areas during large-scale events like the fireworks festival.
* This article has been translated by AI.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.