Yongsan-gu Faces Itaewon Tragedy ▲Joint Situation Room with Related Agencies ▲Disaster Safety Communication Network Operation Among Agencies... Mapo-gu Expects 40,000 to 100,000 Crowds Gathering in Hongdae, Forms 'Halloween Crowd Management Task Force' Focused on Resident Safety... Gwanak-gu Implements Intensive Safety Management with On-Site Monitoring at High Foot Traffic Areas like Sillim Station and Sharosugil ▲Enhanced CCTV Monitoring ▲Deployment of On-Site Safety Personnel ▲Collaboration with Related Agencies ▲Prepared Response Measures by Risk Level
Halloween Day emergency has been declared.
Yongsan-gu, which experienced the large-scale disaster on Halloween Day in Itaewon, and Mapo-gu, home to Hongdae Red Road, one of Seoul's representative crowded areas, have started preparing countermeasures for Halloween Day.
These autonomous districts are collaborating with the police, fire department, and others to conduct preliminary inspections. In particular, according to Article 66 of the revised “Framework Act on the Management of Disasters and Safety” enacted in March this year, if the organizer is unclear for a local festival expected to have mass participation, the head of the local government in charge must establish a safety management plan.
Yongsan-gu, which experienced the Itaewon disaster, takes the most proactive measures
▲Operation of joint situation room with related organizations ▲Operation of disaster safety communication network among related organizations ▲Strengthening monitoring at disaster safety situation room and integrated control center ▲Deployment of safety management support personnel by related organizations ▲Crowd congestion management and traffic control ▲Pre-inspection and crackdown on safety hazards ▲Safety-related publicity, etc.
Safety Management Measures Meeting for Halloween Day Presided Over by Park Hee-young, Mayor of Yongsan District
Seoul’s Yongsan-gu (District Mayor Park Hee-young) has finalized its safety management measures in preparation for Halloween Day 2024. This is the first case of establishing safety management measures for a local festival without an organizer within the district following the legal amendment.
During the Halloween Day safety management period, the district held joint countermeasure meetings with related organizations to prepare safety management and traffic control plans due to crowd concentration. Through this, an organic cooperation system among related organizations was established to prevent safety accidents.
The expected peak crowd period for Halloween Day 2024 is from October 25 to November 3, and the district will devote full efforts to safety management for these 10 days. The main management zones are designated as Itaewon World Food Culture Street and Quinon-gil area, with safety management also conducted in Haebangchon and Gyeongridan-gil.
The main countermeasures include ▲operation of joint situation room with related organizations ▲operation of disaster safety communication network among related organizations ▲strengthening monitoring at disaster safety situation room and integrated control center ▲deployment of safety management support personnel by related organizations ▲crowd congestion management and traffic control ▲pre-inspection and crackdown on safety hazards ▲safety-related publicity, etc.
The joint on-site situation room with related organizations will be set up at Noksapyeong Station Plaza. It will be linked with the Yongsan-gu Office disaster safety situation room and the integrated control center for security CCTV operating an intelligent crowd management system to thoroughly conduct real-time focused monitoring and situation management of expected mass crowd areas.
For smooth crowd management, a total of 4,156 safety management personnel will be deployed at key points such as Itaewon World Food Culture Street and Quinon-gil, including 720 from Yongsan-gu, 2,964 police officers, 168 firefighters, and 304 from the transportation corporation.
Based on the number of passengers alighting at Itaewon Station, crowd congestion will be managed in three stages: ▲Stage 1 caution (around 3,000 people) ▲Stage 2 alert (around 5,000 people) ▲Stage 3 severe (around 8,000 people), with reinforcement of personnel and equipment operation according to each stage.
In the key management areas of World Food Culture Street and Quinon-gil, safety personnel will be deployed to guide safe passage according to the on-site situation. During Stage 1 caution, free passage is allowed; during Stage 2 alert, crowd inflow to World Food Culture Street will be controlled and entrances and exits will be separated; during Stage 3 severe, crowd inflow will be blocked, and reserve forces besides safety personnel will be deployed to guide movement to the main roads.
Traffic management will also be implemented according to the crowd management stages. In Stage 1 caution, management will focus on parking and stopping control and pedestrian flow at intersections. From Stage 2 alert, lanes will be controlled to secure pedestrian walkways and exclusive lanes for emergency and emergency vehicles will be secured. Additionally, joint situation assessment meetings with related organizations will be held as needed for rapid response.
The district will conduct pre-inspections (October 14 to October 24) and strengthen crackdowns on safety hazards to minimize inconvenience to residents and visitors. In particular, illegal street vendors, roadside storage, and outdoor advertisements around Itaewon World Food Culture Street will be intensively cracked down on, and illegal parking and outdoor business activities will be strictly managed.
Park Hee-young, Mayor of Yongsan-gu, said, “Based on the safety management plan prepared together with related organizations, we will do our best to ensure a safe Halloween Day,” and added, “If the crowd becomes congested, please actively follow the instructions of safety personnel on site.”
Mapo-gu expects 40,000 to 100,000 crowds to gather in Hongdae, forms ‘Dedicated Crowd Management Team for Halloween’ centered on Citizen Safety Division
Park Kang-su, Mayor of Mapo District, is cleaning up street trash on October 27 last year to inspect safety management on Hongdae Red Road.
Mapo-gu (District Mayor Park Kang-soo) will conduct “Special Safety Management for Mass Crowds at Hongdae Red Road” jointly with the police, fire department, and others from October 25 to 31 ahead of Halloween Day.
Based on the hourly crowd density data of the Hongdae Tourism Special Zone during Halloween in 2023, the district expects 40,000 to 100,000 people to gather in Hongdae this year and formed a “Dedicated Crowd Management Team for Halloween” centered on the Citizen Safety Division.
Subsequently, the district discussed the mass crowd safety management plan for Halloween with related organizations such as Mapo Police Station, Mapo Fire Station, and Seoul Transportation Corporation, and reviewed the safety management plan on October 15 to complete preparations.
On October 21, a Safety Culture Movement Promotion Council was held with participation from heads of related organizations including the police chief, fire chief, and head of the Western Education Support Office, as well as leaders of private organizations, to discuss Halloween safety management.
During the special safety management period for mass crowds, an on-site situation room will be set up at Red Road R4, and the district plans to conduct step-by-step crowd management and traffic control together with related organizations such as Mapo Police Station and Mapo Fire Station.
Additionally, CCTV monitoring status of crowded areas and information from the disaster safety situation room will be shared in real time, and an emergency medical center will also be operated to enable prompt response in case of emergencies.
The district actively utilizes the “AI Crowd Density Analysis System” installed in crowded areas to analyze risk situations in real time and provide pedestrian alerts through warning messages and voice guidance for easy awareness of the situation.
Emergency disaster text messages and mass crowd behavior guidelines will be quickly disseminated via disaster message electronic boards installed at five major points along Red Road, allowing easy visibility from a distance.
Moreover, the Mapo-gu CCTV Integrated Control Center and Disaster Safety Situation Room, operating 24 hours, will monitor the on-site situation in real time through closed-circuit television (CCTV).
For on-site response, a total of 375 safety management personnel will be deployed for seven days, including 175 district officials, 150 private personnel, and 50 professional safety managers.
They will conduct on-site inspections and safety campaigns daily from 8 PM to 2 AM the next day for seven days, and on Halloween Day, October 31, patrols will continue until 3 AM the following day.
The district will concentrate safety management personnel around Hongdae Entrance Station Exit 9, club streets, and Red Road sections R2 to R5, and will intensively crack down on illegal parking and unauthorized storage that pose risks to passage.
In cooperation with Mapo Police Station, the district plans to secure pedestrian walkways in congested walking areas and control vehicle entry if crowd density becomes severe.
Park Kang-soo, Mayor of Mapo-gu, said, “Mapo-gu prioritizes safety above all else,” and added, “With the belief that there is no such thing as overreaction, we will thoroughly manage safety so that visitors to Red Road during Halloween can enjoy themselves with peace of mind.”
Gwanak-gu conducts focused safety management with on-site management and monitoring in heavily trafficked areas such as Sillim Station and Sharosu-gil
▲Strengthened CCTV monitoring ▲Deployment of on-site safety personnel ▲Cooperation with related organizations ▲Prepared response measures for each risk stage
Established emergency contact network with police, fire department, and others…Prepared joint response through situation sharing using disaster safety communication network
Gwanak-gu (District Mayor Park Jun-hee) will activate a comprehensive safety management plan to prevent accidents caused by large crowds during the so-called “Halloween Week” from October 25 to November 1.
The district plans to focus on managing the crowds by combining on-site management and monitoring in areas expected to have high floating populations on Halloween Day, such as “Sillim Station” and “Sharosu-gil.”
Main countermeasures include ▲strengthened CCTV monitoring ▲deployment of on-site safety personnel ▲establishment of stepwise crowd gathering response plans ▲cooperative response with related organizations.
First, the district will intensively monitor security closed-circuit televisions (CCTV) installed around Sillim Station and Sharosu-gil through the control center and disaster safety situation room, conducting real-time safety management and situation standby.
Especially in the Sillim Station area, which has the highest floating population and population density, 22 “crowd detection CCTVs” will be operated. When congestion exceeds a certain level, the control system automatically issues an alarm, enabling rapid recognition and response to accidents caused by crowd gathering.
On October 25 (Friday) and 26 (Saturday), when crowds are expected to be concentrated, a “crowd monitoring team” composed of public officials and safety security officers will be deployed to conduct safety patrols on site.
The district has also prepared stepwise response plans according to increasing congestion. When congestion reaches the “alert” stage based on crowd detection CCTV, the situation will be communicated to related organizations, and joint patrols will be conducted to disperse crowds. If it reaches the “severe” stage, emergency safety measures such as sending disaster text messages and implementing subway non-stop passage will be taken.
Additionally, the district has established an emergency contact network with related organizations including ▲Gwanak Police Station ▲Gwanak Fire Station ▲Seoul Transportation Corporation, and prepared a rapid joint response system through situation sharing using disaster safety communication networks.
Park Jun-hee, Mayor of Gwanak-gu, said, “In the case of local festivals with unclear organizers like Halloween, preparation for unexpected accidents is most important,” and added, “We will do our best to create a Halloween week without safety accidents through cooperation with related organizations.”
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