241 crowd-management specialists deployed — 91 more than last year — to boost expertise and cut late-night staffing gaps; joint command post relocated to ease pedestrian and business disruption; coverage runs Oct. 23 through Nov. 1
Mapo-gu will launch a joint safety operation with relevant agencies around the Hongdae area from Oct. 23 through 3 a.m. on Nov. 1, bracing for large crowds ahead of Halloween.
Seoul's real-time urban data service recorded a peak of 110,000 people in the Hongdae tourist district at a single moment during Halloween last Oct. 31.
Expecting similarly large crowds this year, the district has put proactive safety measures in place. It formed a task force on crowd safety management, conducted a preliminary review of its safety plan on Oct. 2, and on Oct. 6 held a joint review with five agencies — including the Mapo Police Station, Mapo Fire Station and the Korea Electrical Safety Corporation.
Departments within the task force have been conducting field safety inspections across traffic, construction, road and sanitation sectors from Oct. 8 through Thursday. Any hazards identified during the inspections will be corrected to prevent accidents.
A joint on-site command post will be set up inside the creative center at Hongik Culture Park during the safety management period. The location was moved from the plaza in front of the former Sangsang Madang building to reduce the impact on pedestrian traffic and nearby businesses.
Over the nine-day period, 64 civil servants, 241 safety officers and 20 volunteer disaster prevention corps members will be deployed on site. Compared with last year, the number of civil servants has been cut by 201 while safety officers have increased by 91 — a shift aimed at raising the expertise of crowd management in the field and reducing the staffing gaps that arise from late-night shifts.
Civil servants will work until 3 a.m. the following morning every day throughout the safety management period, and safety officers will remain on site until the same hour on weekends. The volunteer disaster prevention corps will be active until midnight each night.
Safety personnel will be concentrated at crowd-heavy spots including the club street, the area around Hongik University Station and the busking zone, where they will guide pedestrians to keep to the right and direct them to alternative routes when congestion builds. From 11 p.m., when the club street is at its busiest, staffing will be intensified to strengthen on-site response.
Mapo-gu's CCTV integrated control center and disaster safety operations room, both running around the clock, will monitor conditions in real time via closed-circuit television and share any warning signs with relevant departments.
An AI crowd-density analysis system installed at nine high-density locations and five disaster-alert electronic signboards will also be actively used.
Mapo-gu District Mayor Yoo Dong-gyun said there must be no gaps in safety even when large crowds gather. "We will monitor the situation in real time and work closely with relevant agencies to do our utmost to ensure that residents and tourists can visit the Hongdae area with peace of mind," he said.
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