Seoul mayor inspects Hongdae ahead of Halloween, vows '24-hour on-site response'

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon visited the Hongdae tourism zone in Mapo-gu on Thursday — two days before Halloween on Saturday — to inspect the city's joint response framework and on-site safety measures involving city officials, the district office, police and the fire department.

At a joint situation room in Mapo-gu, Oh reviewed agency-specific safety plans alongside Mapo-gu District Mayor Yoo Dong-gyun, Deputy District Mayor Oh Kyung-hee, Mapo Police Station Chief Kwak Byung-il and Mapo Fire Station Chief Kwon Tae-mi. The group examined safety personnel deployment and inter-agency communication and coordination systems.

Oh then walked roughly 0.7 kilometers from the club district to Hongtong Street, across from the pedestrian-friendly Walkway, checking foot-traffic conditions and safety infrastructure along the route. In the club district, officials reviewed a plan to open one lane of Wausan-ro to pedestrians when crowds surge, as well as measures to manage queues forming outside club entrances.

Oh also checked the operational status of nine AI-powered crowd-detection CCTV cameras in the Hongdae area and a system that analyzes crowd density per square meter. The mayor examined how emergency call buttons relay alerts to a control center in crisis situations.

Also reviewed were electronic signboards that display safety guidance and alternative routes in three tiers — Caution, Alert and Serious — based on crowd density levels. Officials also assessed pedestrian hazards and crowd-dispersal measures around Hongtong Street.

This year, the Seoul Metropolitan Government deployed 326 safety personnel to the Hongdae tourism zone and reinforced on-site measures through crowd-detection CCTV cameras, emergency call buttons and vehicle controls to secure pedestrian space. The city also provided Mapo-gu with 55 million won ($41,200) from its disaster management fund on an emergency basis to expand specialist staffing and strengthen pedestrian flow management and on-site patrols.

On Friday, Oh had directed officials to ensure thorough advance preparation and on-site management to prevent crowd crush incidents. Thursday's inspection was arranged to verify that safety measures were being properly carried out in the field.

This year's Halloween falls on a Saturday, raising expectations of larger-than-usual crowds. The Hongdae tourism zone, dense with clubs and restaurants, draws heavy foot traffic from nighttime into the early morning hours. During last year's Halloween period, up to 110,000 people visited the area — a 34 percent increase from the previous year.

The city is also stepping up safety management at major crowd hotspots across Seoul beyond Hongdae, including Itaewon and Seongsu. A special 10-day Halloween safety period runs through Sunday, with 10,215 public and private safety workers deployed across 14 sites in 10 autonomous districts.

The city is using 361 AI crowd-detection CCTV cameras installed across those 14 sites, along with Seoul's real-time urban data platform and drones, to monitor congestion in real time while strengthening on-site patrols and pedestrian flow management.

Should a dangerous situation arise from crowd surges, the city plans to coordinate with district offices, police and fire authorities to implement safety measures including subway entrance controls, non-stop train passes and emergency disaster text alerts.

"Safety should not be something we pay attention to only during specific festivals — it must work as naturally as breathing, in every corner of citizens' everyday lives," Oh said. "The Seoul Metropolitan Government will fully activate its advanced scientific monitoring systems and 24-hour joint on-site response network to ensure that both Seoul residents and foreign tourists can enjoy Halloween safely, with no gaps in our preparations," Oh added.