Yongsan marshals 2,550 staff to secure Itaewon for Halloween crowds

Yongsan District announced a comprehensive safety mobilization for the upcoming Halloween season, deploying roughly 2,550 personnel from multiple agencies to manage crowds in Itaewon and nearby neighborhoods. The operation runs from Oct. 23 to Nov. 1, covering an anticipated 165,000 visitors across hotspots such as World Food Street, Haebangchon, Gyeongnidan-gil and Yongnidan-gil. A joint command center will coordinate fire prevention, crowd control, medical triage, facility inspections and sanitation, using a four-stage congestion index that fuses CCTV, real-time smart-map data, subway passenger counts and the Ministry of the Interior and Safety’s crowd alerts.

When density thresholds are exceeded, live feeds are reviewed and targeted actions are deployed. Preparations also involve inspecting 218 cameras and 49 emergency bells at 59 sites, positioning a mobile disaster command bus on Oct. 30, and tightening enforcement against street clutter and illegal parking. District head Kim Gyeong-dae emphasized that visitor cooperation with on-site guidance is essential for a safe celebration.