The 16th Seoul International Fireworks Festival, slated for Oct. 6, might have to be postponed if the rain brought by Typhoon Kong-rey does not subside.

According to international weather agencies, the worst of the storm will be felt Friday night and into Saturday as Kong-rey makes landfall on the southern coast of Korea.

Hanwha Group, the organizer of the fireworks event, said it will closely monitor the weather and decide Saturday morning around 10 a.m. whether to go ahead with the festival. 

Hanwha is reviewing the possibility of holding the festival either on Sunday or on Tuesday, which as Hangul Proclamation Day is a public holiday.

The Seoul International Fireworks Festival is an annual event that has been held since 2000.

Every year, major firework teams from Korea and abroad are invited to present firework displays, lighting up the night skies of Yeouido.

If the festival is canceled this year, it will be the fourth cancellation. There was no festival in 2001 in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, in 2006 due to North Korea’s nuclear test, or in 2008 because of bird flu.

For more information in Korean or English, visit fireworksfestival.bulggot.co.

By Lim Jeong-yeo (kaylalim@heraldcorp.com)