[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Koo Dae-sun] With a large-scale religious event expected to draw over 100,000 attendees in Daegu on the 20th, local governments and police in Daegu have gone on high alert. Since this massive gathering is scheduled just 22 days after the 'Itaewon Disaster' that claimed 158 lives, Daegu citizens are feeling uneasy.
According to Daegu City and the police on the 17th, a religious assembly with about 100,000 followers of a certain religious group will be held at Daegu Stadium in Suseong-gu, Daegu, from noon to 3:30 p.m. on the 20th. The event is planned to fill 65,000 seats in the World Cup stadium, 15,000 auxiliary chairs on the field, 2,500 seats in the auxiliary field, and 17,000 temporary chairs on the field.
Daegu City stated, "The event organizers are deploying safety personnel, and the police, city hall, district offices, and fire stations are all mobilized to establish safety measures. Attendees are expected to arrive at Daegu Stadium by bus from across the country, while followers living near Daegu are expected to use public transportation. Parking space is not anticipated to be a major issue. Also, we have been informed that individuals will prepare their own lunch boxes."
However, as news spread that 100,000 people will gather in Daegu for the event, citizens collectively expressed concern, saying, "It has not even been a month since the Itaewon disaster, and now another massive crowd is gathering, which makes us uneasy."
One citizen raised their voice, saying, "I don't understand why Daegu City rented out Daegu Stadium. Have they prepared safety measures?"
The Daegu City Council also held an emergency meeting that day, intensely questioning senior officials at Daegu City Hall about the reasons behind granting the rental permission for Daegu Stadium.
Jeong Il-gyun (People Power Party, Suseong-gu) council member said, "I am curious whether there are safety measures in place. Instead of the Daegu City Urban Management Headquarters, which manages the stadium, handling the issue internally, the city should thoroughly review the event after sufficient consultation at the city level."
Ha Jung-hwan (People Power Party, Dalseong-gun) council member also said, "It is unacceptable to allow the rental of Daegu Stadium while 461 small business owners in Daegu, who suffered damages related to a specific religious group during COVID-19, are still in court," urging a reconsideration of the approval.
Kim Tae-woo (People Power Party, Suseong-gu) council member added, "There are regulations that should prevent approval when a request to use Daegu Stadium is received," and requested, "Please consider all Daegu citizens and the city's image."
In response, Daegu City stated, "There is no regulation that prohibits approval unless it is a political rally when a rental application for Daegu Stadium is submitted. Therefore, we approved it after receiving a rental fee of 40 million won according to relevant regulations."
A Daegu City official said, "At this point, three days before the event, it seems too late to cancel it. To prepare safety measures, city hall, police, and district offices have held six meetings so far."
However, as it became known that gathering 100,000 people at Daegu Stadium, which was built ahead of the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup, is the first time in 20 years, citizens' concerns are growing.
A Daegu Stadium official said, "At a music event last August, there were 20,000 attendees, and at a religious event 3 to 4 years ago, the highest attendance was 40,000, so having 100,000 people gather is unprecedented and very worrisome. We are sweating over establishing safety measures."
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