South Korea’s Seoul launches special safety plan ahead of Halloween
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The safety plan targets 14 major nightlife and pedestrian-heavy areas, including Itaewon, Hongdae and Seongsu.
PHOTO: THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
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SEOUL - The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced on Oct 24 that it has implemented a special safety management plan for Halloween, targeting 14 major nightlife and pedestrian-heavy areas, including Itaewon, Hongdae and Seongsu.
The designated safety period runs through Nov 2, during which officials from the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, local districts, police and fire authorities will jointly conduct inspections, on-site patrols and real-time crowd monitoring.
The 14 areas include the Itaewon and Hongdae tourist zones, Seongsu-dong cafe street, Konkuk University’s restaurant district, Gangnam Station, Apgujeong Rodeo Street, Myeong-dong, Ikseon-dong, Wangsimni Station, Yonsei-ro in Sinchon, Balsan Station, Sillim Station, Sharosu-gil, and Nonhyeon Station.
Authorities will carry out pre-event safety checks, deploy personnel, install safety fences and enforce parking bans and crowd control measures during the period.
Emergency shelters, medical response teams and transportation systems linked to nearby hospitals will also be put in place.
Eight areas – Itaewon, Hongdae, Seongsu, Konkuk University, Gangnam Station, Apgujeong, Myeong-dong and Ikseon-dong – have been designated as priority management zones, with joint field command centers connected to local disaster control centers and CCTV monitoring hubs to enable immediate responses to risk signals.
Crowd detection cameras will automatically measure density per square meter and issue real-time alerts to officials and citizens. Police and safety officers will patrol heavily congested areas over the weekend ahead of Halloween to prevent accidents.
In Itaewon, safety personnel will be stationed throughout the main tourist district to help disperse crowds. Entry and exit routes will be separated if congestion levels reach the “warning” stage, and trains may skip Itaewon Station under “severe congestion” conditions.
These measures come two years after the deadly crowd crush that claimed 159 lives in the nightlife district of Itaewon
Seoul officials said local safety measures will be adjusted in real time based on conditions across districts.
“This year’s Halloween safety plan focuses on identifying and eliminating potential risks in advance,” Vice-Mayor Kim Sung-bo said.
“We will maintain a field-oriented response system and work closely with related agencies to ensure that citizen safety remains our top priority.” THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
