The Red Devils Reunite... Police, Fire Department, and Seoul City Unite for Safety Management

Estimated 15,000 Gathered by Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters
People Lined Up in Front of Convenience Stores, Restaurants, and Cafes
One Month Since Itaewon Tragedy... Focus on Preventing Crowd Accidents

On the 24th, citizens gathered at Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul to cheer for the national soccer team participating in the 2022 Qatar World Cup.
Photo by Oh Gyumin

[Asia Economy reporters Byungseon Gong and Gyumin Oh] "Oh, Fighting Korea!" Around 9:30 PM on the 24th, Gwanghwamun Square in Jongno-gu, Seoul was already filled with a red wave even before the soccer match began. The 2022 Qatar World Cup, held for the first time in four years since the 2018 Russia World Cup, saw citizens cheering for the South Korea national soccer team in various ways. They wore headbands with red horns and draped the Taegeukgi flag over their bodies. Some wore red clothes all over and shouted energetically. Jung Hyuncheol (30) said, "I’m excited that people can come together again to cheer for the World Cup," adding, "I hope the soccer team stays injury-free and achieves good results."

That day, Gwanghwamun Square was filled with citizens supporting the national soccer team, which was set to face Uruguay from 10 PM. According to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, about 15,000 citizens were expected to support the soccer team. The Red Devils Seoul Branch, which hosted the event, was initially denied permission to use the square by Jongno-gu on the 21st due to insufficient safety management plans. However, after supplementing the safety-related details, they received approval for the use of the square through the Seoul City Gwanghwamun Square Advisory Committee’s review.

Citizens Lining Up to Buy Chicken and Beer... "Have to Wait 10 Minutes for Canned Drinks"

On the 24th, citizens gathered at Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul to cheer for the national soccer team participating in the 2022 Qatar World Cup. Citizens flocked to convenience stores near Gwanghwamun Square to buy beer and snacks.
Photo by Gong Byung-sun mydillon@

People gave enthusiastic cheers to the national soccer team playing their first match. Kim Jihoon (32) said, "Asian countries like Saudi Arabia and Japan defeated strong teams such as Argentina and Germany," adding, "I hope Korea also shows good performance against Uruguay and causes an upset."

Citizens flocked to restaurants, cafes, and convenience stores. They lined up in front of stores to buy chicken to eat while watching soccer. The lines at convenience stores became so long that they wrapped around the building. Park Jisoo (49) said, "You have to wait in line for 10 minutes at convenience stores to buy canned drinks," adding, "It’s the same at other stores, so there are no alternatives."

Police Deploy About 500 Officers... Fire Department Assigns 119 Ambulance and Rescue Teams

On the 24th, citizens gathered at Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul to support the national soccer team participating in the 2022 Qatar World Cup. The police deployed about 600 officers to ensure safety management. / Photo by Gong Byung-seon mydillon@

To ensure citizens could enjoy watching soccer safely, the police and fire department put all their efforts into safety management. Since it had only been a month since the Itaewon tragedy on the 29th of last month, many personnel were deployed to Gwanghwamun Square. The police deployed about 600 officers, including 8 riot squads and special forces. The police were stationed from Euljiro 1-ga Station, about 1 km away from Gwanghwamun Square, guiding the flow of people crowded around subway stations and crosswalks. The Seoul Jongno Police Station created a separate pedestrian passage within Gwanghwamun Square for citizens’ movement. The fire department also deployed 4 teams of 119 ambulance units and 2 rescue teams around Gwanghwamun Square to prepare for any possible accidents.

Personnel from Seoul City and Jongno District Office were also deployed to prevent crowd accidents. They relocated street vendors selling Red Devils horns and cheering tools from pedestrian paths to less crowded areas. A Jongno District Office official explained, "We are mainly monitoring pedestrian areas within Gwanghwamun Square," adding, "If movement is obstructed, sudden crowd surges could cause crush accidents."