Barricades all over the streets, police managing the crowds… There were no safety accidents
Crowded with citizens dressed in cosplay
All-out effort for police and local government safety management and surveillance
Crowd information board warns of ‘congestion’
Citizens “I feel much safer with traffic management”
A memorial space at the site of the disaster… Silence/mourning
Ministry of Public Administration and Security conducts general investigation into areas at risk of accidents
World Food Culture Street near Itaewon Station in Yongsan-gu, Seoul on the 26th. Ahead of Halloween (31st), the streets here were crowded with citizens dressed in colorful cosplay. With new crowds constantly flowing in and out of every narrow alley in the area, the thumping sound of music came from the club. To ensure smooth passage, right-hand traffic was encouraged in each alley, but sometimes people stopped to dance or take pictures with cameras, causing congestion.
Kim So-young (31), who visited Itaewon in cosplay that day, said, “I was surprised that there were more people than I expected,” and added, “I keep telling my friends to be careful while walking around.” Seungjae Lee (22), who visited Itaewon for the first time during Halloween, also said, “I was a little hesitant about coming to visit because of the disaster, but I still want to make fun memories with my friends today.”
Photos of victims at the scene of the disaster On the 27th, ahead of the second anniversary of the Halloween disaster that killed 158 people, a bouquet of flowers is placed in an alley next to the Hamilton Hotel in Itaewon, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, where the disaster occurred. Reporter Lee Jae-moon
On the weekend ahead of the second anniversary of the Halloween disaster, the areas of Itaewon and Hongdae in Seoul were crowded with citizens trying to enjoy Halloween. There was some congestion as crowds gathered together around midnight, but thanks to control by local governments, no dangerous situations that raised concerns about safety accidents were detected.
After 11 p.m. on this day, a line stretched over 20 meters at the entrance to a club in Itaewon, taking up one side of the alley. The green ‘smooth walking’ sign displayed on the crowd detection system information board quickly changed to yellow, warning of ‘congestion’.
As this is the first Halloween since the revision of the Framework Act on Safety Management, each local government has launched an all-out effort to manage safety. On this day, about 110 red barricades were installed dividing the middle of the sidewalk along the 200-meter-long World Food Culture Street to encourage pedestrians to walk on the right. The police and district office staff deployed at every 4 to 5 barricades repeatedly shouted, “Turn around, line up, and go in,” and divided the crowd into two sides to allow them to pass.
On the 26th, a police mobile patrol unit was carrying out a Halloween Day crowd prevention patrol in the Hongdae area in Mapo-gu, Seoul. Yonhap News
Mr. Jeong (27), who works at a club lounge on this street, said, “Twice as many people came as last year,” and added, “It looks much more stable because people walk around divided into left and right instead of mixing together.”
A memorial space was created in the alley west of the Hamilton Hotel in Itaewon, the site of the disaster two years ago. At the time of the disaster, 158 people died due to the extreme crowds in this alley, but the citizens who visited this alley bypassed it and found it to be quiet. In the alley, photos of the victims, chrysanthemums, soju, wine, banana milk, and snacks were placed. Some citizens visited this place to quietly pray and pay tribute to the victims. Mr. A, who works at a nearby convenience store, expressed the mood of remembrance, saying, “Sometimes people buy food to commemorate the incident.”
Crowds also flocked to the Hongdae area in Mapo-gu, Seoul, which is considered a Halloween hot spot along with Itaewon. Kim Min-jae (23), who visited Hongdae with his girlfriend, said, “I can still vividly see the scenes of people wearing costumes receiving CPR during the disaster,” and added, “I came to Hongdae because Itaewon was a little burdensome.” On this day, the Hongdae area showed a crowd of about 98,000 people from 7 to 8 p.m. according to Seoul City’s real-time city data, but as of 10 p.m., the number decreased to about 80,000 to 82,000, showing a ‘slightly crowded’ level.
Citizens who visited Itaewon, Yongsan-gu, Seoul on the 27th are moving around with masks on their heads. Yonhap News
About 50 barricades were also installed around Hongdae Street to encourage right-hand traffic. About 100 police, fire, and district office officials deployed to the scene managed traffic flow with light sticks. Mr. Lee (23), who passed by here, said, “I thought the barricade would be a hindrance, but I was able to get out thanks to it when people were just crowding in.” He added, “Because I only moved in one direction, there was no bumping of shoulders due to crossing paths.”
However, the safety of citizens was threatened as motorcycles and personal mobility devices (PMs) were used near Hongdae, which was designated as a car-free street. Some vehicles took advantage of the absence of police to remove the ‘safety cones’ and enter.
Families of the victims of the Halloween disaster and about 5,000 citizens (estimated by the organizers) held a ‘Citizen Memorial Rally’ at Seoul Plaza in Jung-gu, Seoul to commemorate the second anniversary of the disaster. The memorial rally started at 6:34 p.m., the time when the first report was received on the day of the disaster two years ago. They commemorated the victims by carrying purple vests, balloons, and ribbons. Prior to the citizen memorial gathering, the bereaved family held a prayer meeting at Exit 1 of Itaewon Station with the four major religious denominations of Won Buddhism, Christianity, Catholicism, and Buddhism.
Lee Jeong-min, chairman of the steering committee of the October 29 Itaewon Disaster Victims’ Family Council, is giving a greeting at the citizens’ memorial service for the second anniversary of the October 29 Itaewon disaster held at Seoul Plaza in Jung-gu, Seoul on the 26th. Joint reporting photo
Lee Jeong-min, chairman of the steering committee of the Itaewon Disaster Victims’ Family Council, who lost his daughter in the disaster, emphasized, “We cannot allow this misfortune to be repeated in this country any longer.”
‘House of Stars’, a space to remember the victims of the Halloween disaster and communicate with their families, will move to the first floor of a private building near Gyeongbokgung Palace in Gwanghwamun, Seoul, on the 3rd of next month. It has been about five months since we moved into the Burim Building in Eulji-ro, Jung-gu, near Seoul City Hall last June.
Ahead of the second anniversary of the Halloween disaster, the Ministry of Public Administration and Security, the department in charge of disaster and safety, is conducting a general investigation of various sites under the jurisdiction of local governments where there is a high risk of accidents involving large crowds, such as local festivals, performances, and large-scale stores.
Reporters Lee Ye-rim, Yoon Sol, and Koo Yun-mo
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