Ministry of Interior and Safety holds interagency meeting Tuesday; 10-day special management period to run from Friday
The government convened an interagency safety meeting Tuesday as large crowds are expected to gather in some areas for Halloween on Oct. 31.
The Ministry of Interior and Safety said the meeting was held Tuesday under Minister Yun Ho-jung to coordinate crowd safety measures ahead of the holiday.
The meeting was called to review joint safety management plans and strengthen cooperation among relevant agencies, as large crowds are expected to converge on major entertainment districts such as Itaewon and Hongdae around Halloween.
The ministry designated the 10-day period from Friday through Nov. 1 as a special Halloween crowd management period and identified 28 locations nationwide as priority crowd management sites.
Advance inspection teams will be dispatched to 12 locations where particularly large crowds are expected. Before the special management period begins, the teams will check whether safety management plans are in place, verify the deployment of on-site safety personnel, assess facility safety conditions, and inspect bottleneck areas including entrances, stairways and alleyways.
During the weekend including Halloween itself, the ministry plans to station division chief-level field managers at those 12 locations to work closely with local governments, police and fire department personnel in monitoring conditions until crowds disperse safely.
The ministry urged the public to follow four safety guidelines: avoid crowded venues during peak hours, and if visiting, identify exits and evacuation routes in advance; maintain a safe distance from others in narrow alleys, on slopes and on stairways, where the risk of crowd-crush accidents is high; follow the guidance of on-site safety personnel by keeping to the right in one-way pedestrian flow, and refrain from stopping suddenly or pushing others while walking; and if the crowd slows or pressure builds, leave the congested area immediately and report any dangerous situation to 112 or 119.
"The government will work with all relevant agencies to do everything possible to ensure crowd safety so that people can go about their daily lives with peace of mind, wherever they are," Yun said. He also asked the public to familiarize themselves with the official crowd-accident safety guidelines and to cooperate fully with on-site crowd management instructions.
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