Seoul's Halloween crowd estimates reached as high as 158,000 across Itaewon and Hongdae at 9 p.m. KST on Saturday, Oct. 31, according to reports citing city data, as memorial groups gathered four years after the 2022 crowd crush that killed 159 people and injured 196.
Hongdae Accounts for Most of Estimated Crowds
The Korea Herald put Hongdae's population at 120,000 to 125,000 and Itaewon's at 30,000 to 32,000 at 8 a.m. ET Saturday, equivalent to 9 p.m. KST. MBN reported 125,000 to 130,000 in Hongdae and 26,000 to 28,000 in Itaewon for the same time. Learn more on Investopedia.
The differing district ranges put most of the estimated population in Hongdae. But these figures aren't a verified attendance count: Seoul's data guide says the population estimates rely on telecommunications information and may differ from the number of people actually present.
That distinction matters when assessing Seoul's Halloween crowd estimates. The reports describe estimated populations across two districts at a particular hour, not a confirmed count of Halloween participants or everyone who visited throughout the night.
An EconoTimes image depicting pedestrians on Itaewon's crowded main street was labeled AI-generated; it isn't photographic documentation of Saturday's conditions.
Memorial March Marks Four Years Since Disaster
Memorial groups assembled at Noksapyeong Station Square at 8 a.m. ET Saturday, or 9 p.m. KST, Yonhap reported. They then marched through Itaewon until about 10 a.m. ET, equivalent to 11 p.m. KST.
The gathering came four years after the Oct. 29, 2022, Itaewon crowd crush. The Ministry of the Interior and Safety (MOIS) records the disaster's toll as 159 dead and 196 injured. Those figures provide the backdrop to this year's safety preparations and remembrance events.
Saturday brought both commemoration and Halloween crowds to the neighborhood. The memorial march continued through the evening while authorities' crowd-management arrangements covered Itaewon and other designated areas across the capital.
City officials had anticipated larger crowds because Halloween fell on a Saturday. Their plan included vehicle restrictions on Itaewon-ro and on one lane of Hongdae's club street for Oct. 31, alongside personnel deployments and camera monitoring across designated locations.
Safety Plan Contains a 60-Person Staffing Gap
Seoul's plan identified 14 crowd-management areas across 10 districts and called for 3,271 safety personnel, supported by 361 crowd-detection cameras. The document's staffing breakdown, however, doesn't match its stated deployment total.
It lists 2,011 public personnel and 1,200 private personnel. Together, those components amount to 3,211, leaving a 60-person gap against the headline figure of 3,271. The discrepancy is in the plan's arithmetic; it doesn't establish how many personnel were ultimately on duty.
National measures extended beyond Seoul. MOIS placed 28 areas nationwide under crowd management and issued a Caution alert through Nov. 1. Seoul's own special safety period was also scheduled to continue through that date.
The two programs set the timetable for continued oversight beyond Halloween night. Cameras, staffing and traffic restrictions formed the city's planned response to crowds, while the national alert covered designated locations around South Korea, not just the capital's two heavily visited districts.
Itaewon Station Bypass and Candy Tests
Late Saturday, Seoul Metro Line 6 trains bypassed Itaewon Station from 10:47 to 10:59 a.m. ET, or 11:47 to 11:59 p.m. KST on Oct. 31, Yonhap reported. The last train passed during that interval.
District officials urged passengers to use nearby stations. The bypass added a transport complication near midnight after memorial groups had finished their march through Itaewon.
Separately, Newsis and Yonhap reported that police testing found no narcotics in candy distributed by a person wearing an owl costume. Suspicions about the candy had circulated online. The reported test result didn't substantiate those suspicions.
In an update early Nov. 1 in South Korea, Yonhap said authorities had received some minor medical calls but reported no major incidents by then. That assessment covered the period reported, rather than the full safety operation.
Seoul's special safety period and MOIS's Caution alert were scheduled to remain in force through Nov. 1, keeping crowd-management measures active after Saturday's gatherings and the late-night changes to rail service.
Originally reported by Econotimes. View original.