SEOUL; Seoul police said on Oct 23 that 4,594 officers will be deployed to ensure crowd safety in areas expecting heavy foot traffic during Halloween festivities, including Itaewon, where a crowd crush killed more than 150 people on Oct 29, 2022.
The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency (SMPA) began a special management period from Oct 23 to Nov 1, during which officers will enforce crowd safety measures in five areas of the city – Itaewon, Hongdae, Seongsu-dong, Myeong-dong and Ikseon-dong.
Strike teams, patrol teams, special operations units, detectives and traffic control officers will be mobilised in these areas. Officers from SMPA headquarters and 11 police stations across the South Korean capital have been placed on emergency duty during this period.
Local district offices are working with the police to ensure public safety during the Halloween celebrations on Oct 31.
Yongsan-gu, which includes Itaewon, plans to deploy 2,550 personnel during the special management period.
The authorities will enforce strict road traffic controls in the five areas from Oct 30 to Nov 1.
Police officers will patrol crowded areas such as Itaewon and Hongdae amid growing public fears over unprovoked attacks following several recent incidents.
These include a stabbing spree on Oct 13 in Incheon, when a 59-year-old man launched an attack at a shopping centre, injuring eight people.
One of the victims suffered cardiac arrest and has yet to regain consciousness.
The police urged people to avoid Halloween costumes that could cause confusion or alarm.
"Please refrain from carrying or wearing props such as guns, knives and police uniforms, in order not to stir unease among the public," an official said. – Korea Herald/ANN
