At a glance
| Dates | Expected Dec/Jan 2026–2731 December 2026 to 1 January 2027 (the 29th edition by sequence). The festival is always held over New Year's Eve and New Year's Day, but Pohang City and the Pohang Culture Foundation had not announced the 2026–27 edition or its programme as of 19 October 2026; for 2025–26 the plan was reported on 10 December and the full programme on 29 December. Sunrise on 1 January 2027 should be close to past years (KASI forecast 07:32 for 1 January 2024; the sun rose at about 07:33 on 1 January 2026); KASI publishes its forecast in late December. |
|---|---|
| Next edition | 2026: 31 December 2026 to 1 January 2027 (the 29th edition by sequence). The festival is always held over New Year's Eve and New Year's Day, but Pohang City and the Pohang Culture Foundation had not announced the 2026–27 edition or its programme as of 19 October 2026; for 2025–26 the plan was reported on 10 December and the full programme on 29 December. Sunrise on 1 January 2027 should be close to past years (KASI forecast 07:32 for 1 January 2024; the sun rose at about 07:33 on 1 January 2026); KASI publishes its forecast in late December. |
| Admission | Free: the plaza, the shows and the New Year tteokguk cost nothing, and the plaza car parks are free. |
| Venue | Homigot Haemaji (Sunrise) Plaza경상북도 포항시 남구 호미곶면 해맞이로 136 |
| Nearest station | Pohang Station (KTX) (포항역), Donghae Line (KTX from Seoul Station and Suseo)Not walkable: the station is in Heunghae-eup, Buk-gu, on the north-west edge of the city, and Homigot is at the far eastern tip of Nam-gu; take a taxi |
| From Seoul | Not published · KTX + TaxiLeave from Seoul Station · Plan to stay overFull route · Festivals by travel time from Seoul |
| Organizer | Pohang Culture Foundation, for Pohang City(재)포항문화재단 (주최 포항시) |
| Usual timing | Every New Year's Eve into New Year's Day, from the afternoon of 31 December (14:00 in 2025–26) to about 09:00 on 1 January, built around the first sunrise at about 07:32–07:33. Held since New Year 1999; the official programme was cancelled for 2020–21 and 2021–22 (COVID-19, plaza closed), 2022–23 (COVID-19 and crowd safety) and 2024–25 (national mourning after the Jeju Air crash). Browse December / January festivals. |
| First held | 1999 |
| Last checked | 19 October 2026Checked against 40 sources · See sources |
What it is like
Homigot is the cape at the far eastern end of Pohang, the "tiger's tail" of the Korean Peninsula and one of the first places on the mainland to see the sun each morning. Its seafront plaza is known for the Hand of Harmony (상생의 손), a pair of bronze hands made for the new millennium: a 5.5 m left hand on the plaza and an 8.5 m right hand standing in the sea, which the sun rises beside on clear mornings.
The city has held a New Year sunrise festival here since New Year 1999; the 1 January 2000 and 2001 festivals were state-designated, and the 2025–26 edition was the 28th. It runs through the night. In 2025–26 the plaza opened at 14:00 on 31 December with mask-making, fortune-telling, a farm-produce market, food trucks and pop-up stores; the eve show started at about 23:00, followed by a media-façade show on Homigot Lighthouse, a midnight countdown with fireworks and a tiger-and-horse dance. Air-dome tents and a cold-weather shelter kept people going overnight with a film screening and a "visible radio" show. From 06:50 on 1 January came a ritual performance with gugak, mask dance and tightrope walking, the announcement of Pohang's motto for the year, and then the sunrise, at about 07:33. Free tteokguk (rice-cake soup, the traditional New Year dish) was handed out as 3,000 meal kits from 07:30; in 2019–20 it was 10,000 servings.
About 50,000 people came in 2025–26 and about 30,000 in 2023–24. The official programme was cancelled four times in five years: 2020–21 and 2021–22 for COVID-19, with the plaza closed; 2022–23 for COVID-19 and crowd safety; and 2024–25 during the national mourning period after the Jeju Air crash, when about 22,000 people still came and the city served tteokguk and set up a memorial space.
The caveats: it is cold and windy on an exposed cape (−6°C before dawn in 2026, wind chill about −10°C), cloud often hides the sun (it did in 2024), the roads in are controlled and jammed on New Year's Eve, and no shuttle bus from the city was documented, so plan a taxi or car and a night in Pohang.
Highlights
- The year's first sunrise at about 07:32–07:33 on 1 January, beside the bronze Hand of Harmony: an 8.5 m right hand in the sea facing a 5.5 m left hand on the plaza
- An all-night free festival: open from 14:00 on 31 December to 09:00 on 1 January in 2025–26, with the eve show from about 23:00 and a midnight countdown with fireworks
- Media-façade show projected on Homigot Lighthouse (1908), new in 2025–26
- Free New Year tteokguk: 3,000 meal kits from 07:30 on 1 January 2026 (10,000 servings in 2019–20)
- Pre-dawn programme from 06:50: Homigot Beomgut ritual show with gugak, mask dance and tightrope walking, and Pohang's New Year motto
- Air-dome tents and a cold-weather shelter with a film screening, visible radio and fortune-telling; food trucks and local pop-up stores
Who it suits. Best for travellers who want a classic Korean New Year: staying up with tens of thousands of Koreans to see the first sunrise and eat tteokguk, and for photographers after the Hand of Harmony at dawn. Less suited to anyone who cannot handle a night outdoors at about −6°C with sea wind, slow traffic, or the lack of a documented shuttle back to the city on New Year's morning.
Getting there
From Seoul
KTX from Seoul Station to Pohang Station takes about 2 h 20 m–2 h 30 m; trains also run from Suseo, and since the 1 Sep 2026 KTX–SRT merger both are booked in Korail's own apps and English site. Pohang Station is in Heunghae-eup on the north-west edge of the city, and Homigot is at the far eastern tip of the cape in Homigot-myeon, Nam-gu, so finish by taxi; no festival shuttle was documented, and city bus routes and the taxi time were not verified for this record. Intercity buses also run from Dong Seoul Terminal to Pohang Terminal. Aim to reach Pohang by the afternoon of 31 December, before traffic control starts.
From Busan
Donghae Line trains run from Bujeon Station to Pohang Station 7 times a day in the October 2026 timetable: KTX-Eum takes 1 h 28 m–1 h 30 m (₩18,100) and ITX-Maeum 1 h 58 m–2 h 06 m (₩13,900), standard class. Or take an intercity bus from the Haeundae intercity bus stop to Pohang Terminal, roughly hourly, 1 h 28 m, ₩15,200 deluxe. Then a taxi to Homigot. Going back on 1 January, a public holiday, check the trains in the Korail+ app (코레일+) or at the station, and the buses at the terminal, before you go.
Last leg from Pohang Station (KTX)
Donghae Line (KTX from Seoul Station and Suseo). Not walkable: the station is in Heunghae-eup, Buk-gu, on the north-west edge of the city, and Homigot is at the far eastern tip of Nam-gu; take a taxi
Festival shuttle
No shuttle bus from Pohang city (station or bus terminals) to Homigot was documented in the city's plans or the press reports opened for the 2022–23 to 2025–26 editions, so plan on a taxi or a car. Tour coaches have their own parking: the 2022–23 traffic plan set aside space for about 30 large buses on the Daecheon Bridge coastal road.
Getting home
The festival runs until about 09:00 on 1 January, after the sunrise and the tteokguk. The KTX from Pohang to Seoul Station takes about 2 h 20 m–2 h 30 m, but a third-party listing of the October 2026 timetable showed long daytime gaps between Pohang–Seoul Station trains (it appears to show only part of the service), and the 1 January 2027 timetable has not been checked. Check the trains in the Korail+ app (코레일+; KTX and former SRT trains are booked there since the 1 Sep 2026 merger) or at the station before you go, and book an afternoon or evening train: leaving the cape on New Year's morning is slow, with the car parks full and the approach roads crowded.
Parking
The plaza car parks (Daebo Homigot and Homigot Haemaji) are free. On New Year's Eve the city adds temporary parking and controls traffic: for 2022–23 vehicles were barred from the plaza and the coastal road from the afternoon of 31 December until the morning of 1 January, a temporary car park for about 2,500 cars opened on farmland beside Daebo Middle School (closed once full), and about 180 officials and volunteers directed traffic on the access road, Route 929 and the village. For 2023–24 parking was expanded by about 1,500 spaces, with officers at the main junctions; in 2024–25 the designated car park filled and cars lined the roadsides.
How to switch Naver Map and Kakao Map to English
Google Maps shows train, subway and bus routes in Korea but not walking or driving directions yet, so for the walk from the station Naver Map or Kakao Map is more reliable.
Before you go
1330 · Travel hotline
The Korea Tourism Organization’s helpline answers in English, Japanese and Chinese around the clock, and in several other languages from 08:00 to 19:00. Dial 1330 from a Korean phone, or +82-2-1330 from a phone registered abroad.
112 / 119 · Emergencies
112 for police, 119 for fire and ambulance. Both are free from any phone. Police on 112 can add an English or Chinese interpreter to the call.
T-money card
Buy one at a convenience store such as GS25, CU or 7-Eleven and top it up there with cash. It pays for subways and buses in most cities, and for most taxis.
Maps
Use Naver Map or Kakao Map for walking and bus directions; Google Maps does not yet give walking directions in Korea. Both apps can be switched to English. Naver Map: Menu (≡) → Settings → Language (Japanese and Chinese also available). Kakao Map: Menu (≡) → Settings → App settings → Language. If the option is missing, change your phone’s language and reopen the app. Small shop names and some reviews stay in Korean.
Trains and buses
Book trains on Korail’s English site and express buses on Kobus. Holiday weekends sell out first.
Checked 18 October 2026.
Tickets, prices and practical details
| Item | Price | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Entry | — | Free in every past edition; no change announced |
- Booking
- No booking or tickets. The tteokguk is first come, first served (3,000 meal kits from 07:30 on 1 January 2026). The official page is on the Pohang Culture Foundation portal (phcf.or.kr); the programme is usually published in the last two weeks of December.
- English on site
- No English programme information was found; KTO's data for the plaza lists Korean-language guidance only.
- Crowds
- Very crowded from midnight to sunrise: about 50,000 people in 2025–26 (Pohang City) and about 30,000 in 2023–24; about 22,000 came in 2024–25 even with the official programme cancelled.
- Best time to go
- Arrive on the afternoon or evening of 31 December to park and settle in, stay for the midnight countdown, and take a spot facing the Hand of Harmony well before the 06:50 programme; the sun rises at about 07:33 and tteokguk starts at 07:30.
- What to bring
- Thermal layers, a windproof coat, hat, gloves, hand warmers and something to sit on: it was −6°C before dawn in 2026 with a wind chill of about −10°C. A charged phone and power bank, and some cash for food trucks and taxis.
- Rain
- No bad-weather policy is published. The 2023–24 programme went ahead under thick cloud that hid the sunrise; air-dome tents are put up against wind and cold.
- Toilets
- Public toilets at the plaza, including accessible toilets (KTO data and a travel guide).
- Step-free access
- The main entrance is step-free with a gentle slope, and there are accessible parking spaces and toilets, though one guide notes the accessible toilet may be cramped for a wheelchair. With tens of thousands of people on the plaza in the dark (about 50,000 in 2025–26), moving around before sunrise is hard.
Editions
| Year | Dates | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 31 December 2026 to 1 January 2027 (the 29th edition by sequence). The festival is always held over New Year's Eve and New Year's Day, but Pohang City and the Pohang Culture Foundation had not announced the 2026–27 edition or its programme as of 19 October 2026; for 2025–26 the plan was reported on 10 December and the full programme on 29 December. Sunrise on 1 January 2027 should be close to past years (KASI forecast 07:32 for 1 January 2024; the sun rose at about 07:33 on 1 January 2026); KASI publishes its forecast in late December. | expected | No notice of a cancellation or change of venue was found. |
| 2025 | 31 Dec – 1 Jan 2026 | ended | Haemaji Plaza (about 14,000 pyeong, roughly 46,000 m²); air-dome tents against wind and cold, safety fences along dangerous stretches of shore, 8 food trucks and 7 'Homigotgan' pop-up stores of local traders. |
| 2023 | 31 Dec – 1 Jan 2024 | ended | 26th edition, slogan 'Meet the Blue Dragon's rise together' (청룡의 승천을 함께 만나요); the first in-person festival since COVID-19. About 30,000 visitors; thick cloud hid the sunrise (KASI forecast 07:32). Parking was expanded by about 1,500 spaces on the previous year. |
| 2019 | 31 Dec – 1 Jan 2020 | ended | 22nd edition, theme 'The light of Homigot wakes a new hope for the peninsula' (호미곶의 빛, 한반도의 새 희망을 깨우다). |
| 2017 | 31 Dec – 1 Jan 2018 | ended | 20th edition. |
Before or after the festival
Places you can fit in before or after the festival without missing the shuttle or the last train or bus back.
A street of houses built by Japanese residents in Guryongpo's harbour quarter after the 1883 trade treaty; Pohang City restored the few survivors as a house street, a filming location for the drama When the Camellia Blooms. Visit on the afternoon of 31 December and move on early: traffic control on the roads to the plaza starts in the afternoon. Guryongpo is known for gwamegi (half-dried saury) and mulhoe (cold raw-fish soup), a good early dinner before the long night.
Getting there: By taxi, under about 10 km along the coast from the plaza (KTO distance); bus routes not verified
Korea's only museum devoted to lighthouses, opened in 1985 and doubled in size in 2022, with over 20,000 objects on lighthouses and navigation aids, a replica lighthouse children can explore inside and seaside terraces, next to Homigot Lighthouse. On Thursday 31 December it should be open 09:00–18:00 (last entry 17:30, free; closed Mondays), so go before the evening programme; 1 January opening is not confirmed. After dark the lighthouse was the screen for the media-façade show in 2025–26.
Getting there: On foot from the plaza, about 120 m (KTO); free
- Getting awayAfter
Leaving the cape after sunrise is slow: about 50,000 people came in 2025–26, the car parks fill, the approach roads jam and no shuttle bus was documented. Rather than joining the first rush, stay for the tteokguk and let the roads clear, and book an afternoon or evening KTX from Pohang rather than a morning one.
Questions travelers ask
When is the Homigot New Year Sunrise Festival 2026–27?
Expected 31 December 2026 to 1 January 2027, the 29th edition by sequence. It is always held over New Year's Eve and New Year's Day, but Pohang had not announced the programme as of 19 October 2026; last year's full programme came out on 29 December.
What time is sunrise at Homigot on 1 January?
About 07:32–07:33. KASI forecast 07:32 for 1 January 2024, and the sun rose at about 07:33 on 1 January 2026 (one report says it cleared the cloud at about 07:38). KASI publishes its forecast for the coming New Year in late December.
Is it free? Is the tteokguk free?
Yes. Entry, the shows and parking are free, and so is the New Year tteokguk (rice-cake soup): 3,000 meal kits from 07:30 on 1 January 2026, first come, first served. In 2019–20 the city served 10,000 bowls.
Is there a shuttle bus from Pohang to Homigot?
None was documented for recent editions. Take a taxi from Pohang Station or Pohang Terminal, or drive and use the free temporary car parks. Expect traffic control: for 2022–23 cars were barred from the plaza and coastal road from the afternoon of 31 December.
How do I get there from Seoul?
KTX from Seoul Station (or Suseo) to Pohang Station, about 2 h 20 m–2 h 30 m, then a taxi across the city to the cape. Because the festival runs overnight, plan to stay in Pohang or book a return train for the afternoon or evening of 1 January.
How cold does it get?
Very cold and windy: −6°C before dawn on 1 January 2026, with a wind chill of about −10°C. The organizer puts up air-dome tents and a cold-weather shelter, but dress for a night outdoors on an exposed cape.
What is the Hand of Harmony?
A pair of bronze hands made for the new millennium: a 5.5 m left hand on the plaza and an 8.5 m right hand standing in the sea. On clear New Year mornings the sun rises beside the hand in the sea, the classic Homigot photo.
Has the festival ever been cancelled?
The official programme was cancelled for 2020–21 and 2021–22 (COVID-19, with the plaza closed), 2022–23 (COVID-19 and crowd safety, plaza partly open) and 2024–25 (national mourning after the Jeju Air crash, plaza open with tteokguk). It returned in full in 2023–24 and 2025–26.
Sources and verification
Facts checked
19 October 2026, against the sources listed below.
This page is desk research from the sources below, not a firsthand report of the 2026 edition. Confidence in the current facts: medium.
- KTO tourist data — 호미곶 한민족 해맞이축전 (ktriptips mirror of KTO's Spanish-language listing, contentId 865262)kto — 2025–26 dates 31 Dec–1 Jan; 14:00–09:00 next day; free; Haemaji-ro 136, Homigot-myeon, Nam-gu (37928); coordinates 36.0761/129.5665; Pohang Culture Foundation and Pohang City; 054-289-7852; festival.phcf.or.kr/homigot; Homigot Lighthouse under 250 m, Guryongpo Beach under 8,814 m, Japanese House Street under 9,533 m, Guryongpo Port under 9,701 m
- 여기유 (festival listing site, KTO data) — 호미곶한민족해맞이축전, 2024–25 editionother — 2024–25 listing 31 Dec 2024–1 Jan 2025, 14:00–09:00 next day, free; address 해맞이로 136; Pohang City / Pohang Culture Foundation; phone 054-289-7852; held every year since New Year 1999; programme types: New Year greetings, performances and concerts, night market, tteokguk, rest shelter, busking, hands-on activities
- 여기유 (KTO data) — 호미곶해맞이광장other — Plaza open all year and free; Millennium Memorial Hall paid, with a rooftop sunrise view; Hand of Harmony installed for the 2000 new-millennium event; state-designated sunrise festival in 2000 and 2001; free car parks (대보호미곶주차장, 호미곶해맞이 주차장); phone 054-270-5806; Damupo White Village about 3 km
- KTO tourist data — 호미곶 해맞이광장 (ktriptips mirror, contentId 127131)kto — Easternmost point of the peninsula, the 'tiger's tail'; bronze Hand of Harmony, one hand on land and one in the sea, made for the new millennium; Eternal Flame and Yeonorang-Seonyeo statue; open at all times, free, parking, restroom, Korean-language guidance; National Lighthouse Museum about 115 m, Homigot Lighthouse about 144 m, Millennium Memorial Hall about 150 m
- Twig24 — 경북 포항 호미곶에서 새해 첫 일출을…“해맞이축전 개최” (29 Dec 2025)news — 28th edition 31 Dec–1 Jan, Pohang Culture Foundation; slogan; Night of Wishes; first media façade 빛의 시원 on Homigot Lighthouse; countdown, fireworks, Homa dance; booths (visible radio, Homi film festival, fortunes, goods-making); tteokguk, food trucks; 1 Jan 06:50 범굿, sand art, motto, tightrope '2026, 새해를 딛다'
- Kyungbuk Maeil — report on the 28th festival's New Year's morning (1 Jan 2026)news — 28th; about 50,000 (Pohang City); plaza 14,000 pyeong (about 46,000 m²); −6°C, wind chill −10°C; sun seen about 07:38, five minutes after forecast; programmes from 14:00; eve show 23:20; 06:50 범굿; motto 위민충정; 3,000 tteokguk meal kits from 07:30; 8 food trucks; 7 pop-ups; air-dome tent; fences; 649 safety staff; cancelled the year before
- Kukinews — New Year's sunrise across the region, Homigot section (1 Jan 2026)news — About 50,000 visitors at the 28th festival; first sunrise at about 07:33 with a tightrope performance; eve performance from 23:00, countdown and multimedia show; motto 위민충정 (爲民忠情); mask-play, fortune-telling and pop-up store; cold-weather shelter; 649 safety staff
- Hankyung — East-coast New Year sunrise events: Pohang Homigot plan (10 Dec 2025)news — 28th edition at the Haemaji Plaza area, Homigot-myeon, Nam-gu; eve show from 23:00 on 31 Dec; midnight media façade on Homigot Lighthouse and 'Homa dance' of tiger and horse; pre-dawn 범굿 with tightrope, gugak and mask dance; venue open from 14:00 on 31 Dec with mask-making, farm-produce market, food zone, free tteokguk and fortune-telling
- telltrip — 포항 호미곶 해맞이축전 가이드 (travel guide)blog — 28th edition; admission and parking free; plaza open all year; step-free main entrance with a gentle slope; accessible parking and toilets, the accessible toilet possibly short of wheelchair space
- Wikitree — '제주항공 참사'로 경북 해맞이 행사 취소 또는 축소 (Dec 2024)news — 27th edition (31 Dec–1 Jan): Pohang City and the Pohang Culture Foundation cancelled all official programmes after the Jeju Air disaster; kept some programmes in the cold-weather shelter, a dawn film screening for families, meal-kit tteokguk, tents and air domes; national mourning to 4 January; safety fences, CCTV and extra staff
- Kyungbuk Maeil — Homigot on 1 Jan 2025, official festival cancelled (1 Jan 2025)news — About 22,000 people at Homigot for the first sunrise of 2025; official 27th festival cancelled, announced on 30 Dec, for the national mourning period after the Muan Jeju Air disaster; cold-weather shelter and tteokguk; memorial space for the victims; designated car park full and cars along the roadsides
- Kyungbuk Maeil — 26th festival programme (28 Dec 2023)news — 26th edition, slogan 청룡의 승천을 함께 만나요; Pohang City and Pohang Culture Foundation; 1 Jan 06:45 New Year drum performance, 2023 review video, greetings and motto; Navy and Marine Corps aviation flypast; tteokguk sharing and Homigot market
- Kyungbuk Maeil — report on 1 Jan 2024 at Homigot (1 Jan 2024)news — About 30,000 visitors on 1 Jan 2024; New Year performance 06:45; helicopter flypast 07:33; pop-opera from about 08:00 for an hour; motto 약진대망 (躍進大望); meal-kit tteokguk; parking expanded by about 1,500 spaces on the previous year; officers at main junctions and a traffic information centre; illegal parking and street vending curbed
- Kyungbuk Maeil — photo report from Homigot (1 Jan 2024)news — Thick cloud hid the sunrise on 1 Jan 2024; free tteokguk with queues; first in-person sunrise festival since COVID-19; approach road crowded with cars
- Kyungbuk Maeil — KASI sunrise forecast for 1 Jan 2024 (18 Dec 2023)news — KASI forecast for 1 Jan 2024 at sea level: Homigot 07:32; Dokdo 07:26
- Kukinews — KASI sunrise forecast for 1 Jan 2026 (24 Dec 2025)news — KASI forecast for 1 Jan 2026: Dokdo 07:26, Ganjeolgot and Bangeojin (Ulsan) 07:31; times for sea level, about 2 minutes earlier at 100 m altitude
- Seoul Shinmun — 포항시, 호미곶해맞이 축제 취소… “다중밀집사고 예방 차원” (7 Dec 2022)news — 25th edition for 1 Jan 2023 cancelled to prevent COVID-19 spread and crowd-crush accidents; eve festival, tteokguk and fireworks cancelled; individual visits allowed; live sunrise broadcast from Homigot, Space Walk and Igari Anchor Observatory; part of the plaza closed 31 Dec–1 Jan with entry limited; would have been the first festival in three years
- Kyungbuk Maeil — Pohang's New Year sunrise safety and traffic plan (27 Dec 2022)news — Vehicles barred from the plaza and the coastal road from 16:00 on 31 Dec until the morning of 1 Jan; temporary car park for about 2,500 cars on farmland beside Daebo Middle School, closed when full; about 30 large buses on the Daecheon Bridge coastal road; about 180 officials and volunteers on the access road, Route 929 and the village; drone monitoring
- Kyungbuk Maeil — 24th festival cancelled, plaza closed (13 Dec 2021)news — 24th edition (31 Dec 2021–1 Jan 2022) official event cancelled, second year running; plaza closed and access road fully closed
- Kyungbuk Maeil — 2021 festival cancelled, plaza closed (24 Dec 2020)news — 2021 festival cancelled; plaza fully closed 31 Dec–1 Jan; fences at the plaza and car park; access control from 24 Dec to 3 Jan
- Kyungbuk Maeil — 22nd festival programme (17 Dec 2019)news — 22nd edition, theme 호미곶의 빛, 한반도의 새 희망을 깨우다; busking, countdown and fireworks on 31 Dec; tteokguk for 10,000; Black Eagles flypast on New Year's morning; early-morning screening; temporary car parks
- Ajunews — 해맞이는 포항 호미곶에서 (27 Dec 2017)news — 20th edition, 31 Dec–1 Jan at Homigot: eve, midnight and sunrise events, countdown fireworks, year-end concert, Navy 6th Fleet flypast, Pyeongchang Olympic torch relay
- Kyungbuk Maeil — East-coast sunrise spots and the Homigot tteokguk (29 Dec 2014)news — Tteokguk for 10,000 cooked in a 1-tonne cauldron 3.3 m across
- Maeil Shinmun — millennium sunrise festival at Homigot (20 Dec 1999)news — 1999–2000 millennium festival 31 Dec–1 Jan: eve from 17:00, midnight blessing 23:30–06:30, sunrise celebration; about 200,000 expected; parking for about 15,000 vehicles
- Kyungbuk Maeil — column on Homigot's history (22 Dec 2024)news — First 한민족해맞이축전 on 1 Jan 2000 and held every year since; 1908 lighthouse, Hand of Harmony (2000), Millennium Memorial Hall and National Lighthouse Museum
- Kyungbuk Maeil — feature on Homigot (29 Apr 2019)news — Hand of Harmony: left hand 5.5 m tall on the plaza, right hand 8.5 m tall in the sea; state-designated sunrise festival on 1 Jan 2000 and 2001
- Pohang → Seoul Station train timetable, 18–24 Oct 2026 (third-party mirror of the MOLIT/data.go.kr national timetable feed, page last modified 2026-10-18)other — Departures 05:35, 06:11, 07:14, 18:31 (arr 20:56) and 21:36 KTX-Sancheon 282 (arr 00:07); 18:31 only on 18, 23 and 24 Oct; journeys 2 h 25 m–2 h 42 m; listed standard fare ₩48,800
- Seoul Station → Pohang train timetable, 16–22 Oct 2026 (third-party mirror of the MOLIT/data.go.kr national timetable feed, page last modified 2026-10-16)other — Four departures listed each day: 05:03, 05:38, 06:43, 22:18; journeys 2 h 20 m–2 h 30 m
- Pohang Station (Donghae Line) station page (third-party mirror of the national timetable feed, page last modified 2026-10-18)other — Station at 포항역로 1, Heunghae-eup, Buk-gu; KTX timetables to Seoul Station and Suseo
- Dong Seoul Terminal intercity bus destinations (third-party mirror of the MOLIT/data.go.kr national timetable feed, page last modified 2026-10-12)other — Pohang Terminal listed among Dong Seoul intercity bus destinations
- Korail press release: 코레일-에스알 9월 1일 하나로…안전 최우선, 더 편리한 고속철도의 시작 (31 Aug 2026)official — Integration and integrated running from 1 Sep 2026; KTX and SRT merged into KTX; average KTX fare cut about 10%; Suseo-axis seats up about 30%; 5% mileage; Korail+ app (Korail Talk + SRT app) launched 3 Aug
- Korail Tickets (English booking site)official — English booking site; letskorail.com redirected to korail.com; Suseo is in the KTX station list; language menu has English, Japanese, Chinese (simplified/traditional), Vietnamese, Thai and Indonesian
- Bujeon → Pohang train timetable, 15–21 Oct 2026 (third-party mirror of the MOLIT/data.go.kr national timetable feed, page last modified 2026-10-15)other — 7 trains a day, same every day, 05:11–19:40: ITX-Maeum 05:11, 09:38, 11:09, 15:33 (1 h 58 m–2 h 06 m, ₩13,900 standard); KTX-Eum 07:50, 13:58, 19:40 (1 h 28 m–1 h 30 m, ₩18,100 standard); weekday adult fares
- Pohang → Bujeon train timetable, 13–19 Oct 2026 (third-party mirror of the MOLIT/data.go.kr national timetable feed, page last modified 2026-10-13)other — 7 trains a day, 08:38–20:57; evening departures 17:20 KTX-Eum 754 (arr 18:50), 19:52 ITX-Maeum (arr 22:00), 20:34 ITX-Maeum 1806 (arr 22:37), 20:57 KTX-Eum 756 (arr 22:29); ₩18,100 KTX-Eum, ₩13,900 ITX-Maeum
- Busan Haeundae intercity bus stop → Pohang Terminal intercity bus timetable (third-party mirror of the MOLIT/data.go.kr national timetable feed, page last modified 2026-10-15)other — Departs 부산해운대시외버스정류소; 15 buses a day, hourly 07:40–21:40; 1 h 28 m; ₩15,200 deluxe (우등), weekday adult
- Pohang Terminal → Busan Haeundae intercity bus stop timetable (third-party mirror of the MOLIT/data.go.kr national timetable feed, page last modified 2026-10-02)other — 15 buses a day, hourly 07:10–21:10; 1 h 31 m; ₩15,200 deluxe (우등)
- KTO tourist data (ktriptips mirror) — 국립등대박물관kto — Korea's only lighthouse museum, opened February 1985; 09:00–18:00, last entry 17:30; closed Mondays (next weekday if a holiday), Seollal and Chuseok days; free; homepage lighthouse-museum.or.kr
- IALA e-bulletin — Expanded National Lighthouse Museum of Koreaother — Reopened 1 July 2022 after expansion; floor space more than doubled; seaside terraces; over 20,320 relics and works
- KTO travel course (ktriptips mirror) — Pohang course incl. Homigot and Guryongpo (contentId 2659576)kto — Guryongpo Japanese House Street: Japanese residents after the 1883 trade agreement, few houses remained, developed by Pohang City, filming location of 동백꽃 필 무렵; Homigot plaza 118 m and lighthouse 120 m from the museum
- Kyungbuk Maeil — Guryongpo commercial district selected for 2026 local commercial area project (17 Jun 2026)news — Guryongpo known for seafood, gwamegi and mulhoe, its Japanese house street and sunrise viewing
What we could not confirm
- 2026–27 (29th) edition not announced by Pohang City or the Pohang Culture Foundation as of 19 Oct 2026; the programme usually appears in mid to late December.
- The Pohang Culture Foundation festival page (phcf.or.kr; the old festival.phcf.or.kr address now returns an error page) could not be read in full, so any official shuttle, traffic-control or parking notice there was not read.
- Shuttle buses: no shuttle from Pohang Station or the bus terminals to Homigot was documented for any recent edition; whether the city runs one on New Year's Eve is unknown.
- Traffic control for 2023–24 and 2025–26 (roads, closing times, temporary car parks) not found; the 16:00 vehicle restriction and the 2,500-car lot are from the 2022–23 plan.
- City bus routes, journey time and taxi fare from Pohang Station or Pohang Terminal to Homigot not verified.
- Sunrise time: KASI's forecast for Homigot on 1 Jan 2026 and 1 Jan 2027 not read directly; press reports for 2026 give about 07:33 (Kukinews) and about 07:38 behind cloud (Kyungbuk Maeil); KASI's 1 Jan 2024 forecast was 07:32.
- First edition: the numbering (20th in 2017–18, 22nd in 2019–20, 28th in 2025–26) and the KTO-data listing point to New Year 1999, but a 2024 Kyungbuk Maeil column calls 1 Jan 2000 the first 한민족해맞이축전 (2000 and 2001 were state-designated). firstHeld set to 1999.
- KTO: the festival is not in the TourAPI snapshot of 18 Oct 2026 and no Korean or English KTO listing was found; KTO's Spanish listing is contentId 865262 and a French listing exists as contentId 1134819 (not opened).
- Japanese and Chinese names: no KTO or official Japanese/Chinese name found.
- Rail: the third-party timetable mirror lists only a few Seoul Station–Pohang trains a day; neither the 1 Jan 2027 holiday timetable nor the post-merger KTX fare was checked, and Suseo–Pohang trains were not read.
- Card payment at food trucks, English support and pets are not documented.
- Whether the National Lighthouse Museum opens on 1 January 2027 (KTO: closed Mondays and on Seollal and Chuseok; 1 January not stated); one listing also says reservations are required.
- Bus routes and taxi time between Homigot and Guryongpo not verified; Homigot Lighthouse is dated 1908 on this page but 1903 in a 2015 POSCO blog post.
Changes: 2026-10-19 — Added to the site: fact-first record (dates, hours, prices, getting there, sources). · 2026-10-19 — Added a Wikimedia Commons photograph of Homigot, the venue (Mobius6, CC BY 4.0). · 2026-10-21 — Official link updated: festival.phcf.or.kr → Pohang Culture Foundation portal festival page (phcf.or.kr/phcf/festival_detail). · 2026-10-29 — Nearby rewritten as 'Before or after the festival' (shuttle and last-train fit); transport: removed Busan train/bus clock times, the October-timetable Pohang–Seoul KTX times and the 2022–23 road-closure hour, added a 'Getting away' line and Korail+ advice; prices: no change (free).
