[On the Scene] "Endless Crowds in the Alley" Leave Citizens Stranded... Trains Skip Itaewon Station

Crowds tangled amid police controls, jostling to enter
About 370 officers deployed to manage crowds in Itaewon alone
160,000 in Itaewon and Hongdae... Gangnam and Seongsu quiet

"Please let us in! You can see the club right there. All my belongings are inside."

"We'll let people in gradually, in small groups, every 3 to 5 minutes, depending on the situation. Please step back!"

At around 10 p.m. on October 31, Halloween night, at Itaewon World Food Culture Street in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, sighs and shouts erupted from all directions as five police officers in fluorescent vests unfolded metal safety barriers to block the alley entrance. Hundreds of people were trapped in the narrow entrance just 10 meters from an alley filled with pounding music and flashing lights.

Itaewon World Food Culture Street in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, is bustling with people out to enjoy Halloween on the afternoon of the 31st. Crowds fill the alley, making it difficult to move. Photo by Park Hosu

The police used loudspeakers to control the crowd, but people trying to enter the alley became entangled with pedestrians coming from the opposite direction. As people packed into the narrow entrance in layer upon layer, shoulders bumped into one another and arguments broke out in several places.

After access to the alley was blocked, dozens of people turned around all at once and headed toward the nearby exit of Itaewon Station and the bus stops. As people quickly crowded onto the narrow sidewalk, Yongsan-gu Office staff waved red traffic batons to clear a path for pedestrians.

"Keep moving along the sidewalk. Don't stop!" Halloween-costumed pedestrians filled the sidewalk as whistle blasts mingled with club music. No one fell, but some people were pushed to the edge of the road, leaving barely enough room to stand.

Police are controlling Halloween crowds from entering an alley in Itaewon, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, at around 11 p.m. on the 31st. With a sign warning of entry restrictions in place, officers are directing pedestrians. Photo by Park Hosu.

Police deployed large numbers of personnel to manage crowds in major nightlife districts across the country, including Itaewon. About 7,800 officers were assigned to 28 major high-risk crowd-gathering areas nationwide, including Itaewon, Hongdae in Mapo-gu and Seongsu-dong in Seongdong-gu.

For the first time this year, six intelligent CCTV cameras were also put into operation in the alleys of Itaewon World Food Culture Street. The system analyzes crowd density per square meter in real time, down to the second, to detect signs of danger. When crowd surges were detected on monitoring screens, officers on site immediately set up barriers that had been kept ready at the alley entrance to prevent more people from entering.

Security was also tight along the main road. Three police riot-control buses formed a vehicle barrier on Itaewon-ro, while one tactical armored vehicle, two explosive-detection dogs and armed members of the Special Operations Unit were deployed on patrol. About 370 police officers in total were assigned to Itaewon.

Police also conducted random searches of people wearing costumes with fake guns or imitation knives. They placed all reports to 112 related to crowding on emergency standby, automatically raising them to at least "Code 1," the fastest response level.

On the 31st, citizens hoping to celebrate Halloween in Itaewon, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, waited for police instructions as they lined up to enter an alley. The queue stretched from the alley entrance to near the subway station entrance. Reporter Park Hosu.

From 6 p.m., a lane stretching from Itaewon 119 Safety Center to Noksapyeong Square was opened to pedestrians, partially easing the situation in which vehicles and pedestrians had been mixing. However, people continued to stream toward the alleys late into the night. An inspector with the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's riot police unit, who was managing the crowd at the scene, said, "We gave people so many warnings in advance, but the crowds keep pouring in endlessly, and I can't take my eyes off them."

Visitors to the area had mixed reactions. Yun Hanjeong, 34, an office worker, said, "I've lived abroad for a long time, so Halloween is a familiar celebration to me, but it's frustrating that we can't even enter the alley after 10 p.m." He added, "Maybe everyone is flocking here because Itaewon is the only place where you can enjoy this atmosphere." By contrast, Kielle, a 28-year-old French tourist, gave a thumbs-up and said, "With police and vehicle barriers densely positioned in every alley, it looks remarkably safe despite the huge crowds."

After 11 p.m., crowds filled the area around the memorial site in the alley where the disaster occurred. Music and laughter swept through the streets, but people noticeably slowed down in front of the memorial wall. Even young people in elaborate costumes stopped in front of the wall lined with chrysanthemums, clasped their hands and bowed their heads.

On the 31st, citizens dressed in a variety of costumes take commemorative photos in Itaewon, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, to celebrate Halloween. Photo by Park Hosu.

According to Seoul's real-time urban data, as of 10 p.m. that day, the floating population around Itaewon Station was between 22,000 and 24,000, indicating the "crowded" level. The crowded level is the highest of the four crowd-density levels. The floating population across the Itaewon Special Tourist Zone also reached between 32,000 and 34,000.

At around 11:47 p.m., as large crowds gathered for Halloween, trains on Seoul Subway Line 6 passed through Itaewon Station without stopping. Yongsan-gu issued an emergency alert saying, "Due to heavy crowds around Itaewon World Food Culture Street in Yongsan-gu, trains are scheduled to pass through Itaewon Station without stopping." The district also urged people to avoid entering Itaewon Station and to use nearby Noksapyeong or Hangangjin stations instead. Police were stationed at every entrance to Itaewon Station to control access.

Meanwhile, other nightlife districts, including Gangnam and Seongsu, were relatively quiet, without a Halloween surge. The floating population around Gangnam Station fell from between 54,000 and 56,000 at 8 p.m. to between 48,000 and 50,000 at 10 p.m., indicating the "relaxed" level. Local government and police also closed their joint operations center at the scene in Gangnam early, at around 9 p.m.

Seongsu-dong's cafe district also had the feel of a peaceful weekend. An employee at a food and beverage store in Seongsu-dong said, "It's the weekend, but the store is quieter than usual," adding, "It seems everyone went to Itaewon or Hongdae to enjoy the festival atmosphere."

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