[Report] "Is Halloween Really That Important?"... Youth Pouring Out Onto the Streets

Weekend of Halloween, Seoul Downtown Paralyzed Including Itaewon and Hongdae
Mask Wearing and Social Distancing Are Stories from Other Countries
Grasshopper Jump from Hongdae to Itaewon, Then to Gangnam Again

On the 31st, around 11 p.m., the alleys near Itaewon Station in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, were bustling with young people dressed in various costumes to celebrate Halloween.
Photo by Yoo Byung-don tamond@

[Asia Economy Reporters Yoo Byung-don and Lee Jung-yoon] “Do young people even know about Dano Festival? They celebrate it more than our national holidays.”

At around 11:40 p.m. on October 31, Halloween Day, taxi driver Baek (57) gave a wry smile toward the press riding his taxi from Itaewon Station in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, heading toward Hongdae Entrance. Baek, who had made four round trips between Itaewon and Hongdae that evening alone, said, “Itaewon was filled with 70-80% and Hongdae with over 50% of young people dressed in spooky costumes,” adding, “I don’t understand why they risk their lives celebrating a Western holiday like that.”

The fear of the mass infection originating from Itaewon clubs that swept the Seoul metropolitan area in May this year seemed to have vanished from memory. Major entertainment districts in downtown Seoul were so packed with young people enjoying the last day of October that it was hard to find even a spot to step.

Itaewon, which draws crowds of over 100,000 every Halloween, was expected to see fewer people than usual due to COVID-19 cases remaining in the triple digits for several days. However, for young people in their 20s and 30s, it was a distant story. Major clubs located here, intimidated by the quarantine authorities’ warnings of business suspension, all ceased operations simultaneously. As a result, visitors to Itaewon turned their steps toward lounge bars and hunting pojangmacha (outdoor drinking tents).

Those roaming the streets dressed as foreign movie characters or ghosts were busy taking commemorative photos with strangers, often with their masks half lowered or completely off. Numerous booths offering face painting and Halloween makeup were set up throughout Itaewon’s main alleys. With the crowd surging, ‘social distancing’ was naturally nonexistent among those moving through Itaewon’s alleys. Kim Chae-won (23, female), who visited Itaewon that day, said, “I came here because it’s been a while since I gathered with friends and Halloween Day coincided,” adding, “COVID-19 seems much more stable now, so I’m not too worried.”

On the 31st, around 11 p.m., Hongdae Culture Park in Mapo-gu, Seoul, was bustling with young people dressed in various costumes to celebrate Halloween.
Photo by Jeongyoon Lee leejuyoo@

At the same time, Hongdae Culture Park (playground) in Mapo-gu was also bustling with hundreds of young people gathered to enjoy Halloween Day. For them, quarantine rules such as social distancing and mask-wearing did not exist. They smoked and talked without masks, and scenes of drinking, shouting loudly, or hugging others were witnessed everywhere.

A caf? near KT&G Sangsangmadang, a popular spot for young people, was crowded with costumed visitors even at 3 a.m. on November 1. Most of those visiting the caf? did not wear masks due to their facial makeup. Although masks should be worn except when drinking beverages, these quarantine rules were completely ignored. Even when lining up to order drinks, social distancing of more than 1 meter was not observed.

The footsteps of those who forgot about quarantine did not stay in one place. Some of them wandered between Hongdae, Itaewon, and Gangnam, desperately searching for so-called ‘good spots.’ Near Hongdae Entrance Station, young people dressed as doctors and nurses, seemingly mocking the COVID-19 situation, called a taxi saying, “This is boring, let’s go to Gangnam.”

On the 31st, around 11 p.m., in front of a music club located near Gangnam Station in Seocho-gu, Seoul, a long queue of young people waiting to enter has formed.
Photo by Yoo Byung-don tamond@

The situation near Gangnam Station, their destination, was similar. Although major clubs there temporarily suspended operations, some establishments where people could drink and dance had continuous lines of people waiting to enter. Hunting pojangmacha scattered around Gangnam Station were also packed with young people who had turned away from clubs. Government-recommended quarantine guidelines such as distancing between seats and indoor mask-wearing were completely ignored.

The street situation was even more serious. One-person broadcast BJs dressed in Halloween costumes were busy interviewing citizens without masks. Moreover, those who flooded the streets focused on ‘hunting’ by spitting while interacting with their groups or complete strangers.

It was exactly the 20th day since social distancing was eased to Level 1. Downtown Seoul on Halloween Day was a lawless zone that had forgotten COVID-19.