Minister Yoon Ho-jung inspects areas expected to draw crowds ahead of Halloween

[Financial News] Minister of the Interior and Safety Yoon Ho-jung visited Hongdae Tourist District in Seoul on the 30th, a day before Halloween, to review safety measures in preparation for crowds.
According to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety (MOIS) on the 30th, visitors are expected to flock to major downtown areas across the country, as Halloween falls on a Saturday this year, on the 31st.
MOIS is operating a 10-day “Halloween Crowd Management Special Measures Period” from the 23rd through the 1st of next month to prevent safety accidents. It has designated 28 locations nationwide, including Itaewon and Hongdae in Seoul and Seomyeon in Busan, as priority management areas. Hongdae Tourist District, with its concentration of clubs and commercial establishments, draws large crowds every year during Halloween.
At the on-site situation room set up in Hongik Culture Park, Minister Yoon received a briefing on crowd safety measures from relevant agencies, including Mapo-gu Office, the police and fire services.
Mapo District will operate a joint situation room through the 1st of next month and deploy about 300 safety personnel. It will install movable safety barriers on Club Street and elsewhere to provide pedestrian space in both directions and encourage one-way pedestrian traffic on the right. The police and fire authorities outlined plans for vehicle control, securing access routes for ambulances and transporting emergency patients.
Minister Yoon then toured Hongdae's Club Street and Red Road, a pedestrian-friendly street. He checked for hazards such as slopes, narrow alleys and building entrances, and inspected the area for bottlenecks and obstacles to pedestrian flow.
He also checked the operating status of the AI-based crowd density analysis system. He confirmed whether warning messages and public announcements were being issued according to crowd density, then pressed an emergency call button to test its connection to the control center. He also stressed the importance of a rapid on-site response system.
With larger crowds expected this year than last year due to an increase in foreign tourists and events being held around Hongdae, Minister Yoon called for measures to prevent bottlenecks and for immediate crowd control if overcrowding occurs.
Minister Yoon said, “The government will work closely with relevant agencies to ensure thorough safety management so that the public can enjoy Halloween safely.”
[email protected] Ye Byung-jung Reporter