Preventing the 'Halloween Disaster'... Focused Management in Itaewon, Hongdae, and More

Special Measures Period from Oct 25 to Nov 1
Dispatch of Situation Managers to Crowded Areas such as Myeongdong, Busan Seomyeon, and Daegu Dongseong-ro

The government is preparing for the upcoming Halloween Day by dispatching on-site managers to areas with concentrated crowds such as Itaewon and Hongdae.

Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min reported these measures in the "Safety Management Plan for Large Crowds during Halloween and Other Events" at the Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Han Duck-soo on the 22nd. The government will operate a special Halloween preparedness period from October 25 to November 1 ahead of Halloween Day on the 31st. During this period, 27 zones frequently visited by many people will be designated for focused management.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Among these, 12 areas predicted to have particularly high crowd density will have on-site situation managers at the director level or higher dispatched by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety to manage the situation together with related agencies. Seoul has the most locations with eight (Itaewon, Hongdae, Myeongdong, Seongsu-dong, Konkuk University area, Ikseon-dong, Gangnam Station, Apgujeong Rodeo), followed by one location each in Busan Seomyeon, Daegu Dongseong-ro, Daejeon Jungang-ro, and Gyeonggi Bojeong-dong Cafe Street. Most of these are bustling areas popular among young people. Last year, situation managers were dispatched to only four focused management areas (Itaewon, Hongdae, Myeongdong, Daegu Dongseong-ro), but this year the number has tripled. A Ministry of the Interior and Safety official explained, "This is to strengthen on-site management."

The government is also reinforcing the safety management system for large crowds. In January this year, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety amended the "Framework Act on the Management of Disasters and Safety" to classify "large crowd accidents" as social disasters. In July, the ministry designated the relevant ministries as disaster management authorities for different types of multi-use facilities such as performance venues and large-scale stores. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism will oversee performance venues and sports facilities, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy will oversee large-scale stores, and the Ministry of SMEs and Startups will oversee traditional markets.

The Ministry of the Interior and Safety will also support the preparation of a "Crisis Management Standard Manual" by January next year to enable each authority to establish a safety management system for crowd accidents according to their respective facilities. The safety management system for crowd accidents includes ▲status surveys ▲safety management plan establishment ▲pre-inspections ▲monitoring and rapid response.

Minister Lee said, "As the autumn season brings local festivals across the country, we will ensure that local governments, police, fire departments, and related agencies cooperate to thoroughly manage festival safety so that citizens can enjoy the festivals safely."