Seoul to Manage 'Crowd Density' With 'Big Data'... Joint Response With Police, Fire Services

Amended Ordinance Provides Basis for Collecting Crowd Density Data and More
Moves Beyond CCTV-Centered Response, Cuts Duplicative Surveys

The Seoul Metropolitan Government will collect and analyze big data on crowd density, pedestrian flow times, and traffic volumes across Seoul to prevent major crowd accidents. It plans to share the information with relevant agencies, including the police and fire services, so they can respond quickly to signs of potential problems.

The city government said on October 12 that it would implement an amendment to the “Seoul Metropolitan Government Ordinance on the Provision and Promotion of the Use of Data,” which includes these measures.

Crowds in Seoul's Gwanghwamun area. The Asia Business Daily

After the Itaewon disaster in October 2022, Seoul’s crowd management system shifted to an “intelligent people-counting system,” which uses artificial intelligence (AI) to analyze closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage and automatically measure the number of people per unit area. The city also pursued a plan to install 909 detection CCTV cameras in 71 areas where crowds were expected to gather. The coverage has since continued to expand. During special safety management measures over the year-end and New Year period in 2025, 1,086 crowd-detection CCTV cameras were deployed intensively across 91 areas in Seoul’s 25 autonomous districts.

The key to the ordinance amendment is the addition of a provision on “collecting and using big data and other information for crowd management.” This allows the Seoul Metropolitan Government to collect and use big data on crowd density, pedestrian flow times, and traffic volumes to manage crowds more efficiently.

The information collected will be linked and shared with autonomous districts and relevant agencies, including the police and fire services, in accordance with laws and regulations on personal information protection. The city government may also provide administrative, technical, and financial support needed to carry out related projects.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government said the amendment establishes an institutional basis for systematically and objectively measuring and compiling data on pedestrian flows in areas that are regularly crowded. It will also help prevent waste of administrative and financial resources on separate research projects commissioned by each autonomous district to develop crowd safety measures.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.