On the night of December 31st, there are people who go to listen to the tolling of the New Year's Eve bell. The tolling of the bell, known as "제야의 종소리," happens at midnight as December 31st transitions to January 1st. People commemorate the New Year while listening to the tolling of the bell.

  January 1st is a holiday. Typically, Koreans go to see the sunrise on New Year's morning. They often head to the East Sea, where they can enjoy both the sea and the sunrise. While watching the sunrise, people make wishes. Additionally, they eat a traditional dish called "떡국" (tteokguk). Tteokguk is a soup made by boiling thinly sliced rice cakes with vegetables. There is a saying that if you eat tteokguk, you age one more year.