Large Halloween crowds in Seoul remain manageable
According to city data, up to 120,000 people gathered in Hongdae; about 20,000 people gathered in Itaewon.
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Large crowds celebrated Halloween in Hongdae and Itaewon in Seoul on Saturday. According to the city’s real-time data, the busiest areas were very crowded, but Yonhap reported no new serious incidents.
An estimated 115,000 to 120,000 people were present in the Hongdae district on Saturday evening. In Itaewon, where a deadly crowd crush occurred in 2022, about 18,000 to 20,000 people were there at around 7 p.m. The figures come from real-time data from Seoul City.
The city classified Hongdae as very crowded and Itaewon as crowded. According to the data, people in their twenties made up 38.3 per cent of those present in Itaewon. Yonhap presents the visitor numbers as estimates based on city data.
The authorities had prepared for Halloween night. Seoul had previously announced additional monitoring in fourteen areas, including Hongdae and Itaewon. According to the city’s announcement, thousands of staff, cameras and drones were to be deployed to monitor the crowds and intervene if pedestrian routes became blocked.
The police had also announced additional personnel. Yonhap reported that around 7,800 police officers would be deployed nationwide, including at fourteen key locations in Seoul. The Itaewon disaster in 2022 claimed the lives of 159 people.
In Itaewon, some visitors laid flowers in memory of the victims. The district therefore remained not only a nightlife area, but also a place where safety measures and the memory of the disaster came together.
The available reporting does not provide a complete overview of the evening in all of Seoul’s districts. The figures do show that the largest crowds were mainly in Hongdae this year. When assessing safety, it is important to note that real-time crowd data are only a snapshot and that a calm interim position offers no guarantee for the rest of the night.
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The current figures and the safety deployment come from Yonhap and official information from Seoul. The text presents the data as estimates and does not claim that the entire evening passed without incident.
- confirmed An estimated 115,000 to 120,000 people were present in Hongdae. — Yonhap cites real-time data from the city of Seoul. source
- confirmed Around 18,000 to 20,000 people were present in Itaewon at about 7 p.m. — Yonhap reports this range. source
- confirmed Seoul introduced additional monitoring in fourteen areas. — The city names fourteen high-risk areas and additional safety measures. source
- confirmed The 2022 Itaewon disaster claimed the lives of 159 people. — Yonhap reports the official death toll. source
Editor's note
The visitor numbers, safety measures and death toll from the 2022 disaster were confirmed by Yonhap and Seoul City. The available sources do not provide a complete final picture of the entire evening.Sources
- 120,000 gather in Seoul's Hongdae area for Halloween; 20,000 in Itaewon: data — Yonhap News Agency
- ‘Iedereen veilig tijdens Halloween’: Seoul beheert drukte in veertien gebieden — Seoul Metropolitan Government
- Intelligent Disaster Safety System Put in Place as First Anniversary of Itaewon Crowd Crush Approaches — Seoul Metropolitan Government