Seoul's Yongsan District Deploys 2,550 Staff for Itaewon Halloween Crowd Safety
In short
Seoul's Yongsan District said on 19 October that it will deploy about 2,550 district, police and fire personnel around Itaewon during a Halloween special period running from 23 October to 1 November. The district expects about 165,000 visitors and will respond in stages based on real-time crowd data.
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Seoul's Yongsan District said on 19 October that it will deploy about 2,550 on-site safety personnel from the district office, police and fire services around Itaewon for Halloween, using real-time crowd data. The district set 23 October to 1 November as a 10-day Halloween special measures period. Halloween day, 31 October, falls on a Saturday. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 5 , 6 ]
Based on visit trends over the past three years, the district expects about 165,000 people to visit the Itaewon area, including World Food Culture Street (세계음식문화거리) and Kwinon-gil (퀴논길), during the period. [ 2 , 3 , 5 , 6 ]
The district drew up its safety plan in three meetings since last month with Yongsan Police Station, Yongsan Fire Station, Seoul Transportation Corporation (서울교통공사), Unit 3537 and the Itaewon merchants' volunteer corps. During the period, these agencies will run a joint command room near World Food Culture Street. The deployed staff are assigned to fire prevention, safety, order and traffic management, terror and crime response, medical and ambulance services, facility safety inspections and cleaning. [ 2 , 3 , 5 , 6 ]
The district called the core of its plan a staged response using real-time crowd data. It revised its four-level congestion criteria using crowd data accumulated last year. It will gauge crowding with intelligent CCTV, the Yongsan real-time smart map and the number of passengers alighting at Itaewon Station, and will check crowds across the Itaewon tourist zone with Seoul real-time city data. It will also use the Ministry of the Interior and Safety's crowd gathering alert system. When a risk alert is issued, staff will check the scene on CCTV right away and respond accordingly. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 5 , 6 ]
The disaster safety situation room and the integrated control centre will also monitor Haebangchon, Gyeongnidan-gil and Yongridan-gil, where crowds are expected. From 12 to 22 October the district is checking the operating status of 218 cameras at 59 sites and 49 emergency bells in the Itaewon area, and since 12 October it has been cracking down on objects left on roads and illegal parking. A disaster-site command bus will be stationed on site from 30 October, the Halloween weekend, and a joint inspection by the agencies is planned for 21 October. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 5 , 6 ]
District head Kim Gyeong-dae (김경대) said the district would work closely with related agencies and ensure safety management to the last day. He also asked visitors to cooperate actively with on-site guidance and control. According to Asia Economy, he also said nothing comes before the safety of residents and visitors. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 5 ]
Why it matters
The plan shows how the district intends to manage crowds in Itaewon around Halloween, with response tied to live data and several agencies working from a joint command room. The documents are official announcements and do not report any incident.
Key facts
- Yongsan District will deploy about 2,550 on-site safety personnel from the district office, police and fire services. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 5 , 6 ]
- The Halloween special measures period runs for 10 days, from 23 October to 1 November. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 5 , 6 ]
- The district expects about 165,000 visitors to the Itaewon area during the period, based on visit trends over the past three years. [ 2 , 3 , 5 , 6 ]
- A joint command room run by the partner agencies will operate near World Food Culture Street. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 5 , 6 ]
- A disaster-site command bus will be stationed on site from 30 October, the Halloween weekend. [ 1 , 3 , 5 ]
- A joint on-site inspection by the agencies is planned for 21 October. [ 2 , 3 , 5 , 6 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Yongsan District announced on 19 October that it will deploy about 2,550 safety personnel in Itaewon for Halloween. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 5 , 6 ]
- The district revised its four-level congestion criteria using crowd data accumulated last year, and combines intelligent CCTV, a Yongsan real-time smart map and Itaewon Station alighting numbers to gauge crowding. [ 2 , 3 , 5 , 6 ]
- Halloween day, 31 October, falls on a Saturday this year. [ 2 , 3 , 5 , 6 ]
Still unclear
- The size of the deployment is given as 2,550 in most reports, but a Yonhap roundup headline refers to about 2,000 safety personnel. Only the headline and a truncated summary of the roundup are available, so the reason for the difference is not stated.
- Whether the expected 165,000 visitors will be reached. The figure is the district's projection based on the past three years' visit trends, not a count.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- Yonhap published the first report of Yongsan District's Halloween safety plan. [ 1 ]
- Kyunghyang Shinmun published its report, with a photo of the 12 October safety committee meeting. [ 2 ]
- Yonhap published a roundup on stepped-up police patrols and Yongsan's deployment. [ 4 ]
- Newsis published its report on the plan. [ 5 ]