[Itaewon Tragedy] Mapo, Yeongdeungpo, Nowon Districts Hold Itaewon Tragedy Countermeasure Meeting... All Events Canceled

Yeongdeungpo-gu Operates Memorial Altar for Itaewon Accident Victims Until November 5

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Mapo-gu (Mayor Park Gang-su) held a briefing on measures for crowded areas in the district related to the Itaewon tragedy at 10 a.m. on the 30th in the large conference room of the district office, presided over by Mayor Park Gang-su, and immediately visited the site for an emergency situation inspection.

The briefing was arranged to urgently review departmental measures to prevent the Itaewon Halloween crowd crush accident that occurred last night. Attendees included all senior officials, as well as officials from the Public Safety Division, Tourism Policy Division, Sanitation Division, and other related departments.

Following this, Mayor Park and district officials visited the Hongdae area to directly inspect the site. They confirmed the dismantling of the Halloween festival site and urged the Hongdae Walkable Street Merchants Association and others to pay special attention and cooperate with safety measures.

Through the briefing and site inspection, Mayor Park instructed, “Cancel all non-urgent events entirely and participate in the national mourning period.” He added, “Since the Itaewon tragedy requires nationwide participation and cooperation beyond regional boundaries to resolve the accident, Mapo-gu will spare no administrative support necessary.”

The district had recommended voluntary business closures to shopping districts such as the Walkable Street Merchants Association in anticipation of crowds gathering in areas with high floating populations.

Accordingly, the district plans to intensively guide the status of voluntary business closures centered on crowded areas in Hongdae from 8 p.m. on the same day. This will involve about 100 Mapo-gu office employees as well as local police and merchant associations and other related organizations.

Yeongdeungpo-gu (Mayor Choi Ho-gwon) will operate a memorial altar to honor the victims of the Itaewon accident.

The altar will be set up in the Yeongdeungpo-gu Office plaza until November 5, the national mourning period, and it is expected that condolences can be paid from the afternoon of the 31st.

Regarding the Itaewon tragedy, the district held emergency meetings in the morning and afternoon of the 30th, activated an emergency contact network to check residents’ damage status, and discussed support plans for medical personnel and facilities.

Also, until the accident recovery is completed, district office-led events will be postponed or canceled, and flags will be flown at half-mast at the district office and community centers. All employees will wear black ribbons, and employee-related events such as ‘Backpack Training’ and ‘Sports Week Events’ will be canceled to establish strict discipline.

After the meeting, Yeongdeungpo-gu Mayor Choi Ho-gwon patrolled Yangpyeong 13 District, which has many vacant houses due to public redevelopment, with senior officials and urged thorough inspections to prevent various accidents.

Mayor Choi said, “With a heavy heart, I express deep condolences and sympathy to the victims of the accident,” adding, “We will do our best to protect the safety of residents so that such tragic incidents do not recur.”

Songpa-gu (Mayor Seo Gang-seok) held an emergency countermeasure meeting at 11:30 a.m. on the 30th, presided over by Mayor Seo Gang-seok, to discuss resident safety inspections and accident recovery support measures.

In particular, the district decided to cancel or postpone scheduled festivals and major events until midnight on November 5, the national mourning period. It also requested private organizers to adjust the schedule and scale of various sports competitions, concerts, and performances.

At the meeting held in the mayor’s office, Mayor Seo said, “It is especially tragic that many of the victims of the unacceptable tragedy that occurred last night in Itaewon were young people. I pray for the repose of the deceased and offer condolences to the bereaved families. I also hope the injured recover quickly.”

He added, “We are holding an emergency countermeasure meeting to check for any possible damage to residents and are making every effort to support recovery. During the national mourning period, we have decided to cancel or postpone various festivals and major events in the district.”

He continued, “We ask residents for their understanding with a heavy heart,” and “We will prioritize safety and thoroughly inspect all areas continuously to prevent urban disasters.”

Finally, Mayor Seo urged, “All Songpa-gu officials should remain vigilant and actively cooperate in support until the accident recovery is complete.”

The district informed residents about event cancellations via text messages, KakaoTalk alerts, and blogs on the 30th afternoon. Psychological support will also be provided from the next day at the Songpa-gu Mental Health Welfare Center.

Oh Seung-rok, Mayor of Nowon-gu, presided over an emergency meeting in the mayor’s office on the morning of the 30th.

The meeting was urgently convened to disseminate news of the Itaewon accident that occurred last night and to check the schedule of local events and accident prevention systems. Attendees included senior officials from related departments and the Disaster Safety Countermeasure Headquarters working group.

The district announced that all scheduled events will be canceled for the time being. This includes the ‘Apartment Healing Festival’ scheduled at Junggye Neighborhood Park and Deungnamu Culture Park at 11 a.m., the Nowon Innovation Education Expo, and all other events. Street arts festivals, Nowon Moonlight Walk, and the operation of the music fountain will also be suspended.

The mayor instructed that safety inspections and accident prevention for future events be conducted thoroughly without any gaps.

Mayor Oh said, “I apologize to the residents who were looking forward to the festival that was held after a long wait and to the organizers, and ask for your understanding. Nowon-gu will closely monitor the situation and spare no support in accident recovery.”

Seongbuk-gu (Mayor Lee Seung-ro) held an emergency countermeasure meeting related to the Itaewon accident at 6:20 a.m. on the 30th. Attendees included Lee Seung-ro, head of the Seongbuk-gu Disaster Safety Headquarters, and all senior officials at the department head level or above.

Through the emergency meeting, a comprehensive plan to support accident recovery was established, and emergency duty by senior officials began. To quickly identify the victims, active cooperation with Seongbuk Police Station and Jongam Police Station was arranged. In addition, close communication and active cooperation with Seoul City were planned to prevent further damage and ensure smooth accident recovery.

Jung-gu (Mayor Kim Gil-seong) entered an emergency duty situation on the morning of the 30th and began urgent safety inspections of major events.

Mayor Kim said, “We have organized a rapid and immediate reporting system for emergency situations and established response measures to ensure resident safety,” adding, “We will actively support requests and needs from the adjacent Yongsan-gu and devote all efforts to accident recovery.”

Gangnam-gu (Mayor Jo Seong-myeong) held two emergency countermeasure meetings related to the Itaewon Halloween festival accident at 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. on the 30th, presided over by the mayor, and entered emergency duty.

The meetings were attended by senior officials and the Disaster Safety Countermeasure Headquarters working group, who shared news of the Itaewon accident and discussed comprehensive plans for accident prevention systems, response measures, and support for accident recovery.

On the 30th and 31st, joint nighttime special inspections will be conducted by local police stations and district officials in areas mainly frequented by people in their teens and twenties, such as Sinsa-dong Garosu-gil, Gangnam Station, and Apgujeong Rodeo Street. They will check whether private events are being held in patrol areas and the number of people gathered, focusing on the narrow pedestrian slopes. Administrative guidance was given to four large clubs operating in the district to suspend operations during the Halloween period.

Additionally, as the national mourning period is designated until November 5, festivals such as the Seonjeongneung Cultural Festival scheduled to be held will be postponed or canceled.

The district will continue to closely cooperate with the government and Seoul City Disaster Safety Countermeasure Headquarters to relay emergency situations, compile casualty status, and hold ongoing emergency countermeasure meetings. As of October 30, 10 casualties (7 deaths, 3 injuries) related to the Itaewon accident have been transported to Gangnam Severance Hospital and Samsung Seoul Hospital in the district. The district plans to cooperate with local institutions such as Gangnam Fire Station and Gangnam Police Station to quickly identify casualties and prepare support measures such as emergency welfare assistance.

The district is actively informing the public about how to report missing persons and casualties and urging restraint on events through its website and disaster safety text messages. It also operates a comprehensive situation room in Gangnam-gu to report emergencies related to events.

Mayor Jo said, “I deeply mourn the Itaewon accident and extend my deepest condolences to the families of the victims,” adding, “Gangnam-gu will closely monitor the situation and do its utmost to support accident recovery for the safety and lives of residents.”

Gwangjin-gu (Mayor Kim Kyung-ho) held an emergency countermeasure meeting on the 30th, presided over by Mayor Kim Kyung-ho, regarding the Itaewon crowd crush accident.

The district activated the Disaster Countermeasure Headquarters at 9 a.m., held an emergency safety inspection meeting, and began identifying casualties among Gwangjin-gu residents who participated in the Itaewon Halloween event.

Along with identifying the damage status of Gwangjin-gu residents, the district decided to cancel all upcoming festivals in the area.

Dobong-gu (Mayor Oh Eon-seok) held an emergency meeting on the morning of the 30th following the Itaewon tragedy on the 29th, announcing that it will inspect resident safety, cancel all local festivals for the time being, and observe a mourning period.

At the emergency countermeasure meeting, Mayor Oh reviewed the schedules of all departments and said, “I pray for the repose of those who tragically passed away in the accident and offer my deepest condolences to the bereaved families. I apologize to the residents who were looking forward to the events and ask for your understanding and unity in mourning the Itaewon accident.”

He added, “We will closely communicate with Seoul City and actively cooperate to prevent further damage and ensure smooth accident recovery.”

The district plans to establish safety inspection manuals for all events held for the time being and devote all efforts to safety inspections of risk factors and deployment of safety personnel at event sites.

Geumcheon-gu (Mayor Yoo Seong-hoon) held an emergency countermeasure meeting related to the Itaewon incident at 12 noon on the 30th in the small conference room of the district office.

The meeting was attended by Mayor Yoo Seong-hoon, heads of each bureau, and department heads related to events, sharing details of the Itaewon accident and discussing strengthening safety measures and the schedule of local events.

Geumcheon-gu decided to cancel or temporarily postpone scheduled events except for essential ones, strengthen continuous inspections and patrols of safety-vulnerable facilities, and promptly identify resident damage status to actively cooperate where needed.

Mayor Yoo said, “We will cancel or temporarily postpone scheduled festivals and events and inspect necessary matters for resident safety,” adding, “Geumcheon-gu will monitor the accident situation and spare no support for preventing further damage and smooth accident recovery.”

Eunpyeong-gu (Mayor Kim Mi-kyung) announced that it held an emergency countermeasure meeting with department heads regarding the Itaewon accident at 10 a.m. on the 30th.

Mayor Kim ordered the complete cancellation of district office-led events until the accident recovery is completed and strengthened safety management of places where many people gather.

She also activated the Eunpyeong-gu Disaster Safety Comprehensive Situation Room to ensure thorough and prompt accident recovery, including victim identification and treatment of the injured.

Eunpyeong-gu is continuously checking for resident damage status and requested that missing person reports be made to the Seoul Dasan Call Center or the Eunpyeong-gu Disaster Safety Comprehensive Situation Room.

Mayor Kim said, “I express deep condolences to the victims of the Itaewon accident. It is especially difficult to express in words the sorrow over the tragic accident involving young people,” adding, “We will inspect safety conditions and do our best to implement additional safety measures to prevent such tragic incidents from recurring.”

Gangbuk-gu Mayor Lee Soon-hee presided over an emergency countermeasure meeting at 9 a.m. on the 30th regarding the large-scale casualty accident that occurred in Itaewon last night.

The meeting was attended by the Disaster Safety Countermeasure Headquarters and related district officials. Mayor Lee used the emergency meeting to identify resident damage cases and check accident prevention systems to prevent safety accidents among residents.

She instructed thorough reporting systems to prevent casualties and to ensure no gaps in accident prevention systems.

Afterwards, Mayor Lee visited the site of the ‘Ppallaegol Festival’ scheduled for that day to inform residents that the event had been canceled and to persuade them.

Mayor Lee said, “I sincerely pray for the repose of the deceased and offer my deepest condolences to the families of the victims,” adding, “We will actively cooperate in resolving this national disaster and thoroughly prepare for accident prevention according to safety inspection manuals for future events.”