First 'Halloween weekend' since the tragedy draws crowds of 120,000 in Hongdae and 30,000 in Itaewon... Order maintained amid proactive controls

[Financial News] On the night of the 31st, Halloween fell on a weekend for the first time in four years since the Seoul Halloween crowd crush, drawing massive crowds to major nightlife districts in Seoul, including Itaewon and Hongdae. As police and local governments moved proactively to close roads and block access to alleys, people also followed safety guidance, enjoying the festivities in an orderly manner without major disruption.

According to the Seoul Metropolitan Government's real-time urban data, the estimated population in the Itaewon Tourist Zone was 32,000–34,000 at 11 p.m. that night. The crowds had grown from 24,000–26,000 at 8 p.m., and congestion reached the 'busy' level. People in their 20s accounted for more than half of the crowd (50.6% as of 10 p.m.). The Hongdae Tourist District, around Red Road, also drew as many as 120,000–125,000 people at 8 p.m., prompting electronic signs to display 'extremely crowded'; crowds of 110,000–115,000 were still there at 11 p.m.
As the night wore on, people heading home joined the crowds around Itaewon's World Food Culture Street, where clubs and bars are concentrated, and Itaewon Station, causing bottlenecks in some areas. When electronic signs displayed 'crowded' at around 9:30 p.m., police blocked access from one side of the street and stood along the central divider fence at intervals of 3–4 meters to direct one-way traffic.
After 9 p.m., police successively blocked access to narrow alleys leading from the Itaewon Station sidewalk to World Food Culture Street, including the '10·29 Road of Memory and Safety,' where the disaster occurred. In one relatively wide alley, police installed a central divider and alternated between restricting and opening access. People moved in turn, waiting in a line about 50 meters long without pushing one another. Itaewon Station's exits were also temporarily separated, with exits 1 and 2 for entry only and exits 3 and 4 for exit only; the restrictions were lifted at around 11 p.m.
Proactive road closures also proved highly effective in dispersing the crowds. Unlike last year, when police assessed congestion at the scene before closing roads late at night, this year they fully closed vehicle traffic from 6 p.m. between the intersection by Itaewon 119 Safety Center and Noksapyeong Plaza, opening the road for pedestrians. As crowds packed into narrow alleys flowed onto the open roadway, dangerous situations were prevented.

Sections of Itaewon-ro and streets in Hongdae closed to vehicles became backdrops for commemorative photos of people in colorful costumes. Requests for photos from foreign tourists and others poured in around people dressed as popular characters and figures, including an instructor from 'Squid Game' and characters from 'Star Wars,' 'Chiikawa' and 'Garfield.'
A 30-something office worker surnamed Park, who visited Itaewon dressed as a cockroach and a pest-control worker, said, “I chose this outfit because I thought it would bring other people joy,” adding, “I'm enjoying myself, taking photos with people and looking around.” Lee, in their 30s, who visited Hongdae via Itaewon dressed as ketchup and mustard, said with relief, “There seem to be more safety staff than I expected, so I think it's okay.” Jeong, in their 20s, who visited Hongdae, also said, “There were a lot of people around Red Road, so I took a side street. I'm glad safety staff were stationed all over the place.”
Meanwhile, amid the festive atmosphere, people continued to pay tribute to the victims of the disaster. The group comprising civic organizations and others—'Pumpkin Lanterns Remembering Itaewon,' 'Resistance and Noise,' 'Horey' and the 'Citizens' Countermeasures Meeting'—held a cultural event at Noksapyeong Plaza starting at 9 p.m. that day, titled 'Halloween Action for the Fourth Anniversary of the Seoul Halloween Crowd Crush: When We Ripple Together as Lights and Noise.' They marched around Quinon-gil until 11 p.m., mourning the victims.
Police designated the period from the 23rd through the 1st of next month as a special Halloween response period and deployed around 7,800 personnel that day at 28 major crowd-gathering areas nationwide. In the Itaewon area, 370 police officers were deployed, about 80 more than last year. Expecting crowds to peak around midnight, police are considering having subway trains pass through stations without stopping, depending on crowd density, and are also stepping up checks on people carrying imitation firearms or knives under the guise of costumes, as well as those wearing police uniforms.


[email protected] Park Ji-hyun Reporter