Armored Vehicle, Special Forces, Even Explosive-Detection Dogs... Itaewon Goes All Out to Prevent Incidents Ahead of Halloween

Yongsan Police to Deploy Personnel and Use Intelligent CCTV
Real-Time Monitoring; Station Access to Be Controlled Based on Crowd Density
Four Lanes of Itaewon-ro to Close from 6 p.m. on October 31

Ahead of Halloween, police have launched on-site measures to prepare for large crowds around Itaewon Station in Yongsan-gu, Seoul. A total of 370 police officers will be deployed, along with the police special forces, an armored vehicle and explosive-detection dogs, to manage crowds and prevent violent crime and terrorism.

Yongsan Police Station in Seoul said on October 30 that it plans to deploy 370 officers on October 31, Halloween, to manage crowds jointly with fire authorities. Ten police special forces officers and a police armored vehicle will also be deployed to respond to terrorism-related reports and dangerous situations. Two explosive-detection dogs have also been stationed at the site.

More than 10 officers from the police special forces patrol World Food Street near Itaewon Station in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, with two police dogs on the afternoon of the 30th. Oh Jieun, reporter.

Ahn Daeseon, head of the security division at Seoul's Yongsan Police Station, said, "We are strengthening visible patrols to prevent violent crime by deploying seven investigation teams and metropolitan patrol personnel. The police special forces are also conducting preventive patrols, and we are prepared to deploy them immediately if a report is received or they independently determine that a situation is dangerous."

Crowd management will focus on monitoring crowd density in real time. Yongsan-gu has installed six intelligent CCTV cameras along a roughly 300-meter stretch of World Food Culture Street and is monitoring crowd density in real time from a joint on-site operations center. Last year, the center was used only for meetings and as a waiting area; this is the first year it has been used for real-time CCTV monitoring.

Yongsan-gu will analyze crowd density in designated areas on CCTV feeds and classify conditions into four levels: smooth pedestrian flow, pedestrian caution, crowded and extremely crowded. It plans to adjust pedestrian traffic directions and entrances according to the level. At the crowded level, Exits 1 and 2 of Itaewon Station will be designated as entrances, while Exits 3 and 4 will be used as exits. If conditions reach the highest level, extremely crowded, the station's entrances will be fully restricted, and trains may pass through Itaewon Station without stopping.

Ahn Daeseon, head of the security division at Seoul's Yongsan Police Station, explains crowd management measures to reporters in front of Exit 1 of Itaewon Station on the afternoon of the 30th. A police armored vehicle is stationed behind him.

Starting at 6 p.m. on October 31, four lanes of Itaewon-ro will be closed to traffic and used as pedestrian space, with one lane kept in reserve for emergency vehicles, including police cars. If crowds reach their peak, access to World Food Culture Street from both ends will be blocked, and one-way pedestrian traffic will be directed downhill through the sloping alley to ease congestion. Whether trains will pass through Itaewon Station without stopping will also be decided in consultation with Yongsan-gu and other relevant agencies, depending on crowd conditions.

Police expect larger crowds than last year because Halloween falls on a Saturday this year. Ahn noted that around 30,000 people gathered around Itaewon Station on Halloween last year, which fell on a Friday, and said police are preparing for a crowd even larger this year. They expect the busiest period to be from 9 p.m. on October 31 to 1 a.m. on November 1 and plan to focus their crowd-management efforts during those hours.

Meanwhile, a banner has been put up in front of Exit 3 of Itaewon Station advising people not to carry threatening props such as guns or knives or wear police uniforms. A police official warned that possessing a replica firearm could result in punishment, and that carelessly handling or playing with cosplay knives or swords in crowded places could also be punishable under relevant laws.

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