Itaewon-ro to Be Fully Closed to Traffic for Halloween Crowds; 3,271 Safety Personnel to Be Deployed

[Financial News] On Halloween itself, the 31st, vehicle traffic on Itaewon-ro in Itaewon, Yongsan District, Seoul, will be completely restricted. Some lanes on Hongdae Club Street will be converted into pedestrian space. Expecting crowds to flock to major commercial areas because Halloween falls on a Saturday this year, the Seoul Metropolitan Government has decided to step up its response, including deploying around 3,200 safety management personnel. The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced on the 22nd that it will operate a special Halloween measures period for ten days, from the 23rd through the 1st of next month. In particular, the three days from the 30th through the 1st of next month, when crowds are expected to converge, will be designated as an intensive management period to strengthen on-site response.
The areas under management comprise 14 locations across 10 districts. Eight locations—including Itaewon and the Hongdae Tourist District, Ikseon-dong, Myeongdong Street, Seongsu-dong Cafe Street, Konkuk University Food Street, Gangnam Station and Apgujeong Rodeo Street—have been designated as crowd-concentration management areas. Six others—Wangsimni Station, Sinchon Yonsei-ro, Balsan Station, Sillim Station, Sharosu-gil and Nonhyeon Station—will also be managed separately.
Joint on-site situation rooms staffed by the Seoul Metropolitan Government, district governments, police and fire services will be set up at the eight management areas. A disaster and safety field situation room bus equipped with video-conferencing facilities and loudspeakers for evacuation guidance will also be stationed at Noksapyeong Plaza in Itaewon for two days starting on the 31st.
Traffic control will be stepped up on Halloween itself. Itaewon-ro will be completely closed to vehicle traffic, and one lane on Hongdae Club Street will be closed and opened to pedestrians. Vehicle traffic on Itaewon-ro may also be restricted on the 23rd, 24th and 30th, depending on congestion.
One-way traffic will be encouraged in narrow alleys, and movable barriers will be installed. Belts will be set up in front of venues such as clubs that attract large crowds to ensure waiting lines do not obstruct pedestrian flow.
A total of 3,271 people will be deployed on site, including 2,011 public-sector personnel and 1,200 private safety stewards. Of these, about half—1,620 people—will be concentrated in Itaewon, with 326 in Hongdae, 312 in Ikseon-dong and 204 in the Gangnam Station area, among other locations.
The monitoring system for detecting crowd-related risks will also be strengthened. Congestion will be monitored using 361 artificial intelligence (AI) crowd-detection CCTV cameras installed in key management areas. When the number of people reaches 5–6 per square meter, an alert will automatically be sent to the situation rooms of relevant agencies. Drones will also be flown over Hongdae, Seongsu-dong and the Gangnam Station area to monitor bottlenecks that are difficult to see from the ground.
Plans have also been made to control station entrances or have trains pass through without stopping at Itaewon, Hongik University, Seongsu and Konkuk University stations if they become excessively crowded. Extending subway service late at night for passengers returning home is under consideration.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government also provided 244 million won from the Disaster Management Fund to seven districts to strengthen on-site safety management. The amount is up from 140 million won last year and is to be used to secure private safety stewards and install safety facilities, among other purposes.
Kim Seong-bo, Seoul’s Second Vice Mayor for Administrative Affairs, emphasized, “This year’s Halloween falls on a weekend, and the number of foreign tourists visiting Korea has risen sharply, so more thorough, field-focused advance preparations are needed than ever. We will concentrate safety personnel on site and conduct thorough inspections to create a safe environment where citizens can enjoy themselves with peace of mind.”

[email protected] Seong Chorong Reporter