Seongdong-gu Takes Strong Measures to Manage Crowds in Popular Seongsu-dong Hotspot

Comprehensive Measures to Strengthen Crowd Density Management
Integrated Crowd Management for Small Events with Over 500 Attendees
Joint Inspections with Fire Stations for Gatherings Exceeding 1,000 People

Seongdong-gu, Seoul announced that it has established a “Comprehensive Strengthened Measures for Crowd Congestion” to prevent and manage safety accidents caused by crowd congestion in the Seongsu-dong area, based on a cooperative system with the police, fire department, and others.

Seongsu-dong is a hot place with various attractions such as culture, art, and food. When famous performances or pop-up stores are held, there is a high possibility of a large crowd gathering at once, increasing safety risks.

Accordingly, the district held three rounds of strategy meetings involving the Seongdong Police Station, relevant departments (7 departments including the Culture and Sports Division), and Seongsu area community service centers (Seongsu 1-ga 1-dong, Seongsu 1-ga 2-dong, Seongsu 2-ga 1-dong, Seongsu 2-ga 3-dong) to prepare comprehensive strengthened measures for crowd congestion, including ▲ integrated management of crowd information ▲ triple patrol and monitoring reinforcement ▲ crowd management guidance ▲ and decisive actions against crowd congestion accidents.

Seongsu-dong Crowd Safety Management Personnel On-site Supervision

▲Integrated Management for Crowd Congestion Prevention

The district has established and operates a communication channel to share crowd information in real time among related departments, community service centers, and the Seongdong Police Station. Events or performances attended by celebrities with concerns of crowd congestion exceeding 500 people are continuously shared and intensively managed in an integrated manner.

▲Expansion and Reinforcement of Triple Patrol and Monitoring

In August, the district hired five safety management personnel. These personnel are organized into two teams and conduct regular patrols around Seongsu-dong to prevent accidents such as crowd congestion.

The community service centers and local police substations conduct joint patrols to minimize blind spots of crowd congestion, while the Disaster Safety Situation Room strengthens crowd management by conducting focused monitoring during weekend day and night hours and weekday nights through security unmanned cameras (CCTV).

▲Cooperation to Suspend Events and Decisive Actions

If an unavoidable crowd congestion situation arises, exposing risks of disaster accidents, the district plans to cooperate with the police to suspend the event and implement decisive measures such as evacuation orders, designation of danger zones, and traffic restrictions in accordance with the Disaster and Safety Management Basic Act.

▲Strengthening Crowd Congestion Guidance

When signing lease contracts for pop-up stores or events attended by celebrities, the district plans to distribute safety management guidelines to event organizers with the cooperation of licensed real estate agents. The safety management guidelines will include precautions and response methods regarding the deployment of safety personnel, measures to prevent queues, separation of celebrity routes, and installation of crowd control lines.

In particular, for performances expected to gather more than 1,000 people outside of concert halls within the region, stricter standards than the current ones will be applied, and joint inspections with the fire station will be strengthened to enhance crowd congestion guidance.

Crowd Management Strategy Meeting

▲Alleviating Congestion at Seongsu Station Entrances

Additionally, in August, the district completed the removal and relocation of business facilities and street vendors on the sidewalk in front of Exit 3 of Seongsu Station to resolve crowd congestion. Construction such as relocating crosswalks and widening sidewalks to secure pedestrian safety is scheduled to be completed by early September.

On weekends and holidays, a section of Yeonmujang-gil where pedestrian traffic is particularly concentrated (from Yeonmujang 5-gil 4 to Yeonmujang-gil 56-1 and Yeonmujang 5-gil 7) will operate the “Seongdong-style Pedestrian Safety Distance.” Accordingly, from August 31 to November 30, vehicle traffic will be restricted every Saturday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. (4 hours) for about three months.

Efforts to improve congestion at Seongsu Station entrances are also being intensified through continuous consultations with Seoul City, Seoul Metro, and others, including finalizing plans to add new entrances to Seongsu Station.

Jung Won-oh, Mayor of Seongdong-gu, stated, “We are thoroughly managing safety to ensure that Seongsu-dong is not threatened by crowd congestion,” and added, “We will leave no gaps in securing residents’ safety through all-round cooperation with related organizations such as the police and proposals for institutional improvements.”