Safety Inspections at Hongdaeipgu and Other Areas Expected to Attract Crowds After the CSAT

[Seoul District News] Mapo-gu, Seongbuk-gu, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Dongdaemun-gu Form Joint Inspection Teams with District Offices, Police Stations, and Local Agencies for Public-Private Safety Checks from November 17 to 20 After CSAT

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] The College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) has ended.

Autonomous districts of Seoul such as Mapo-gu, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seongbuk-gu, and Dongdaemun-gu began safety inspections centered around university areas starting the evening of the 17th, the day the CSAT concluded.

On the afternoon of the 17th, Park Gang-su, Mayor of Mapo-gu, visited Hongdae, where crowds were expected to gather following the 2022 academic year CSAT, to conduct special safety inspections in densely crowded areas to prevent accidents.

According to the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s Big Data Office’s analysis of the resident population, one of the areas with the largest increase in crowds immediately after the CSAT was Seogyo-dong in Mapo-gu, where the Hongdae club district is located.

Accordingly, Mapo-gu established a special safety inspection plan from the 17th to the 20th for the Hongdae area, where crowds are expected to gather after the CSAT, and is conducting safety inspections.

The special safety inspections focus on densely crowded areas around Hongdae Street in Seogyo-dong and narrow roads and steep slopes in the Hongdae area identified by the district as having a high risk of safety accidents.

A total of 230 personnel will be deployed over four days. In particular, the district coordinated with the Mapo Police Station to deploy police personnel to maintain order in crowded areas.

Additionally, during the special inspection period, the district added personnel to monitor CCTV footage at the Mapo-gu Integrated Control Center to immediately relay any dangerous situations to related agencies such as the police and fire department.

Furthermore, according to the safety inspection plan for densely crowded areas, if a sudden crowding situation occurs, the district plans to immediately control the scene with the police to block further crowd inflow and guide detours to prevent safety accidents.

Park Gang-su, Mayor of Mapo-gu, said, “As soon as the CSAT ended, many students are expected to flock to Hongdae, making it more crowded than usual. Mapo-gu will pay close attention to residents’ safety and make every effort to prevent any further safety accidents.”

On the evening of the 17th, Lee Seung-ro, the mayor of Seongbuk-gu, is urging the public-private joint inspection team to ensure thorough safety management near Hanaro Street by Seongsin Women's University Station, a place with heavy pedestrian traffic.

Seongbuk-gu (Mayor Lee Seung-ro) conducted extensive safety inspections from the 17th to the 20th at locations within the district where crowding risks are present following the college entrance CSAT.

The main inspection targets include areas with many restaurants and cafes where crowding is a concern: around Hansung University Station (Seongbukcheon Alley Shopping Street, Fountain Square), around Sungshin Women’s University Station (Hanaro Street, Sungshin Women’s University main gate), and around Anam Station (Gaeunsa-gil, Chamsari-gil). A public-private joint inspection team composed of relevant departments of Seongbuk-gu Office, Seongbuk Police Station, and the Village Safety Council will focus on restraining pedestrian safety violations, guiding crowd dispersal in crowded areas, and establishing a rapid emergency response system among the district, police, and fire departments.

Lee Seung-ro, Mayor of Seongbuk-gu, stated, “After a long period of studying, during the rare free time, safety awareness may become lax. Seongbuk-gu will prepare for this by closely monitoring the safety management system and intensively inspecting facilities and other risk factors to thoroughly prevent safety accidents in places where crowds may temporarily gather.”

Choi Ho-kwon, Mayor of Yeongdeungpo-gu, conducted safety inspections on the evening of the 17th at locations and facilities where crowding is a concern following the CSAT.

The inspection was a public-private joint effort involving about 100 people from the district office, police station, fire station, and voluntary disaster prevention groups. They visited hotspots in Mullae-dong, areas near Yeongdeungpo Station with dense nightlife establishments, The Hyundai Seoul, and Times Square. The focus was on preventing safety accidents related to youth drinking, removing risk factors in crowded areas, and checking the establishment of a rapid response system for disaster accidents.

Mayor Choi Ho-kwon said, “Protecting the lives and property of residents through accident prevention and efforts to protect youth from harmful environments are duties and basics that public officials must fulfill. We will continue to prioritize residents’ lives and do our best to establish a proactive and thorough safety system, even if it seems excessive.”

Dongdaemun-gu (Mayor Lee Pil-hyung) will conduct public-private joint safety inspections from the 17th to the 20th during afternoon and nighttime hours around Hoegi Station, Kyung Hee University, and Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, where many crowds are expected after the 2023 academic year CSAT.

This year’s examinees belong to a generation who, since entering high school in 2020, were unable to experience normal school life due to COVID-19 social distancing measures, so visits to university areas and commercial districts are expected to increase after the CSAT.

Accordingly, the district office, police, fire personnel, and local residents will jointly inspect areas expected to be crowded.

This inspection is part of crowd management measures following the Itaewon accident. The safety inspection team will patrol the area, take measures against street vendors or advertisements that hinder pedestrian safety, and as crowd density increases, assign employees from the local community centers and residents to prevent safety accidents.

In addition to the on-site safety inspections involving 28 people in 7 teams from 3 departments, the district will strengthen CCTV monitoring by 5 functional departments to prevent accidents and resident damage due to crowding after the CSAT, and request cooperation from food service businesses to operate their own order maintenance personnel when there are many waiting customers.

Lee Pil-hyung, Mayor of Dongdaemun-gu, said, “We will do our best to create a safe local atmosphere so that examinees and their families, who have endured difficult times and worked hard for their dreams, can spend their time comfortably and joyfully. We will continue to cooperate with related agencies such as Dongdaemun Police Station and Dongdaemun Fire Station, as well as local residents including the voluntary crime prevention group, for the safety of the region.”