Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency Implements Crowd Control Measures for Year-End Events Including New Year's Eve Bell-Ringing Ceremony

The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency (SMPA) announced on the 30th that it has established a comprehensive crowd management and safety support plan for year-end and New Year’s events, including the New Year's Eve Bell-Ringing Ceremony, and will implement these measures from December 31 to January 1.
During this period, Seoul Special Metropolitan City and each Autonomous District will host a total of 29 events, including eight countdown celebrations and 21 sunrise gatherings, with an estimated attendance of around 220,000 people.
SMPA will mobilize all relevant departments, including crisis management, traffic, crime prevention, criminal investigation, intelligence, 112 emergency response, and special forces. A total of 3,063 police officers will be deployed, focusing on 31 riot police units and major police stations such as Jongno and Namdaemun, to intensively manage areas with high crowd density.
In particular, for the New Year's Eve Bell-Ringing Ceremony held around Bosingak in Jongno District, safety fences will be installed to divide the event area into 12 sections, and entry will be controlled to prevent exceeding the capacity of each section. Police will monitor crowd conditions in real time and take immediate action if overcrowding is detected.
Jonggak Station, where congestion is expected at the end of the event, will be bypassed by Seoul Metro as a preemptive measure. Trains will not stop at Jonggak Station from 11:00 p.m. on December 31 to 1:00 a.m. on January 1. Police will guide citizens to use nearby stations for dispersal.
Additionally, for sunset and sunrise events at venues such as Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP), Seoul Central Post Office, Lotte World Tower, Achasan Mountain, and Haneul Park, SMPA will cooperate with Autonomous District safety management plans to ensure on-site safety.
Regarding the New Year's Eve Bell-Ringing Ceremony, police expect large crowds to gather around Bosingak from 11:50 p.m. on December 31 to 12:30 a.m. on January 1, and will implement vehicle restrictions in the Jongno area. The control period will run from 6:00 p.m. on December 31 to 7:00 a.m. on January 1.
Road closures will include Jongno from Jongno 2-ga Intersection to Seorin Intersection, Cheonggye Buk-ro from Cheonggye 2-ga Intersection to Mojangyo Intersection, and Ujeongguk-ro from Gwanggyo Intersection to Gongpyeong Intersection. SMPA will deploy 400 traffic police officers and 10 motorcycle patrol units to manage traffic and ensure pedestrian safety.
If crowds surge unexpectedly, vehicle restrictions will be extended to Anguk Intersection and Euljiro 1(il)-ga Intersection to secure pedestrian safety. Depending on the situation, partial or full closures may also be implemented on sections of Sogong-ro and Jangchungdan-ro due to the Shinsegae Department Store - Main Store countdown event in Myeong-dong and the Seoul Light event at DDP.
An SMPA official urged, "We ask citizens visiting crowded areas to use the subway whenever possible, and if you must drive, please check traffic information in advance."
jyseo@fnnews.com Seo Ji-yoon Reporter