SEOUL, October 19 (AJP) - With Halloween just around the corner, police and other security officials in Seoul are preparing safety measures to prevent crowd-related accidents.
At a press briefing at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's headquarters in central Seoul on Monday, chief Go Beom-seok said police would increase patrols and use real-time data to identify high-risk areas and respond quickly to safety concerns.
Large numbers of revelers and other partygoers are expected to gather for Halloween, a parochial American holiday that has become a major celebration among young people in South Korea. He also pledged that police stations and district offices will work together to check safety measures.
These preparations come as part of efforts to prevent another crowd crush ahead of the fourth anniversary of the deadly Itaewon stampede in 2022, which killed about 160 people, most of them young.
Seoul's district of Yongsan, which includes Itaewon, has designated Oct. 23 to Nov. 1 as a special 10-day period for the ghost-themed holiday, with about 2,550 safety personnel from the district office, police and fire agencies being deployed to manage crowds and prevent accidents.
"We will work closely with related agencies to ensure safety, and we hope visitors will follow on-site instructions and safety rules," said the district's head Kim Gyeong-dae.
At a press briefing at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's headquarters in central Seoul on Monday, chief Go Beom-seok said police would increase patrols and use real-time data to identify high-risk areas and respond quickly to safety concerns.
Large numbers of revelers and other partygoers are expected to gather for Halloween, a parochial American holiday that has become a major celebration among young people in South Korea. He also pledged that police stations and district offices will work together to check safety measures.
These preparations come as part of efforts to prevent another crowd crush ahead of the fourth anniversary of the deadly Itaewon stampede in 2022, which killed about 160 people, most of them young.
Seoul's district of Yongsan, which includes Itaewon, has designated Oct. 23 to Nov. 1 as a special 10-day period for the ghost-themed holiday, with about 2,550 safety personnel from the district office, police and fire agencies being deployed to manage crowds and prevent accidents.
"We will work closely with related agencies to ensure safety, and we hope visitors will follow on-site instructions and safety rules," said the district's head Kim Gyeong-dae.
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