[Report] Itaewon is noisy on the eve of Halloween... Silence on the path of remembrance (comprehensive)

Move in an orderly manner following the safety fence... More than 10,000 people near Itaewon Station at 9 p.m.

Strengthening police and district office safety management... On the 31st, 370 police officers were deployed and vehicles were controlled.

(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Minhyuk Yoon = “I live today!”

Someone's excited shout was interrupted by the sound of exciting music, and young people wearing butterfly-patterned capes and other clothes not usually seen looked here and there, their eyes shining.

The sound of clinking glasses and the chant of “one, two, three” before taking pictures were mixed with laughter.

On the night of the 30th, a day before Halloween, Itaewon in Yongsan-gu, Seoul is full of citizens who come to enjoy the Friday night and is noisy.

According to real-time city data in Seoul, the real-time population near Itaewon Station in Yongsan-gu as of 9 p.m. on this day was 9,500 to 10,000, which is 79.7% higher than the average at the same time on the same day of the week on the 28th.

The largest age group was in their 20s (50.4%).

As the night deepened, the area around Itaewon Station became more crowded. People of various nationalities mingled without any hesitation and even left ‘proof shots’.

On this day, Itaewon World Food Culture Street was crowded but orderly.

Citizens enjoyed the nightlife by following the safety fences erected along the streets and keeping on the right side of the road.

A woman who was walking with her husband holding the child's hand smiled at the child and said, "You have to go to the right of the red fence."

Jo Soo-hyeon (22), who went out to explore the streets with her friends, said, “I was surprised that it was easier to get around than I thought,” and added, “It seems like everyone is being careful, perhaps because they experienced a disaster (four years ago).”

Crowd management in preparation for possible accidents was noteworthy.

Police patrolled every alley, and Yongsan-gu Office employees waved light batons to assist traffic.

A man in his 20s who I met on the street that day said, "Thanks to the people who manage the crowds, I thought I didn't have to worry about accidents. To be honest, I hesitated on whether to come or not, but I guess I was worried for nothing."

While many people were enjoying 'Halloween Eve', a heavy silence fell in only one place.

The 'Road of Remembrance and Safety' in the back alley of the Hamilton Hotel, filled with notes left by citizens, was filled with chrysanthemums to commemorate those who lost their lives in the disaster.

Citizens who stopped for a moment looked at the electronic display board with a note attached.

Mr. Lee (25), who was reading the memo carefully, said, “I was moved to tears without realizing it by the message, ‘I will not forget,’” and put his hands together, saying, “I hope tomorrow passes without incident.”

Earlier, Seoul Yongsan Police Station began preventive patrols in the Itaewon area this afternoon.

Eight police special forces, along with two explosive detection dogs, walked around the World Food Culture Street to check for risk factors.

As they walked around the streets, voices were heard saying, “What’s going on?” and “It’s the police.”

The police explained that exposing armed officers and equipment to citizens can be expected to have a crime prevention effect.

Ahn Dae-seon, Yongsan Police Station's security division chief, who organized the preventive patrol that day, said of the armored vehicles, "We deployed them to have a visible crime prevention effect."

The police, fire department, and Yongsan-gu Office anticipated that there would be a larger crowd of people in the Itaewon area than last year as the 31st, the day of Halloween, was a weekend, and made preparations.

Yongsan Police Station in Seoul mobilized 370 police officers on this day to manage crowds in conjunction with Yongsan-gu Office and fire authorities.

In particular, the World Food Culture Street and the six sloping alleys leading to it were considered major risk areas and it was decided to intensively manage them.

Ahn Dae-seon, head of the security department, said, "Last year, up to 30,000 people gathered around Itaewon Station. This year, since Halloween falls on a Saturday, we expect and are preparing for the crowd to increase further."

The police predicted that the largest crowd would gather between 9 p.m. and 1 a.m. the next day, and decrease from 3 to 4 a.m.

Accordingly, to relieve crowding, vehicular traffic will be completely controlled from Itaewon 119 Safety Center to Noksapyeong Square from 6 p.m. and the roadway will be opened as a pedestrian space.

Last year, we decided to close the road at around 10:40 PM after checking the level of congestion on site, but this year, we finalized the control policy in advance.

The purpose is to reduce density by securing pedestrian space even before crowds gather.

If the crowd density increases, the inflow of crowds on both sides of the World Food Culture Street will be blocked and one-way traffic will be applied to the sloping alleys.

Depending on the congestion situation, we will also consider operating separate entrances to Itaewon Station or passing through without stopping.

The on-site joint situation room uses intelligent closed-circuit (CC) TV to determine crowd density in real time.

Yongsan-gu Office is analyzing crowd density by zone with six intelligent CCTVs installed around the World Food Culture Street. Since the 23rd, three additional CCTVs have been installed on the rooftop of the Hamilton Hotel to monitor the flow of people throughout the street.

Baek In-gwan, head of the safety and disaster department and safety planning team at Yongsan-gu Office, explained, “We use the actual on-site situation confirmed by CCTV as the main indicator and use other indicators as a supplement.”

In the joint situation room, liaison officers from related organizations, such as police and fire, are stationed and share the situation in real time. Relevant organizations held four joint meetings ahead of Halloween to review the response system.

To prevent violent crimes and terrorism, the police deploys 7 teams of detectives, 20 members of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's metropolitan prevention patrol unit, 8 patrol cars, and 10 police special forces.

The special forces plan to respond immediately if a report is received or a dangerous situation occurs during preventive patrol.

The police urged caution, saying that careless use of simulated firearms or knives for cosplay in crowded places may result in punishment according to relevant laws.