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Preparations to manage crowd congestion ahead of Halloween. / Yonhap News Agency

Police will deploy more than 4,500 officers to major nightlife districts in Seoul, including Itaewon and Hongdae, to intensify crowd management ahead of Halloween on Oct. 31. They will introduce phased vehicle restrictions depending on crowd density and strengthen preventive patrols in response to a recent series of knife attacks.

The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency (SMPA) announced that it has designated Oct. 23 through Nov. 1 as a "special Halloween safety management period" and will carry out safety management activities, focusing on areas where large crowds are expected to gather.

Police have designated five areas — Itaewon, Hongdae, Seongsu, Myeong-dong and Ikseon-dong — as priority management zones. A total of 4,594 police personnel will be concentrated in these areas, including 30 mobile police units, 120 metropolitan preventive patrol teams, 120 members of police special operations units, 99 detectives and 765 traffic police officers.

During the special management period, heightened alert status will also be imposed on relevant divisions of the SMPA and 11 police stations under its jurisdiction.

Police previously inspected major management areas from Oct. 8 to 16 and requested that local governments address issues such as queues outside clubs, objects obstructing pedestrian movement and street vendors causing congestion. On Oct. 22, police conducted a joint on-site assessment with Yongsan District Office and other relevant agencies and discussed safety management measures.

At the scene, measures will also be implemented to separate pedestrian flows depending on crowd congestion levels. Some sections will be designated exclusively for entry or exit, while further entry will be prevented if crowding reaches dangerous levels.

In particular, police have designated Oct. 30 through Nov. 1 as a period of intensive traffic management and will work with the Seoul Metropolitan Government and district offices to introduce phased vehicle restrictions.

The restrictions will cover Itaewon-ro in Yongsan District (from the entrance to Itaewon to the Cheil Worldwide intersection), Jandari-ro in Mapo District (from Samgeori Pocha to Sangsangmadang), Yeonmujang-gil in Seongdong District (from the Daelim Warehouse intersection to the Gyeongdong Elementary School intersection), Myeong-dong Street in Jung District (from the Samil-daero entrance to the front of the Seoul Central Post Office), and Donhwamun-ro 11-gil in Ikseon-dong, Jongno District.

Vehicle restrictions will be implemented in three stages depending on conditions on the ground. In the first stage, police will manage illegally parked vehicles and obstacles to pedestrian movement. In the second stage, vehicle traffic will be partially restricted while access routes for emergency vehicles are secured. If congestion increases further, restrictions will be raised to the third stage, with all vehicle entry blocked.

Police also plan to strengthen crime prevention patrols in major crowded areas, including Itaewon and Hongdae, in light of growing public anxiety following recent knife attacks.

"We will make every effort to ensure safety on the ground, particularly in crowded areas, so that citizens can feel safe," a police official said. "We also ask people to refrain from carrying or wearing costume props such as guns and police uniforms to avoid causing public anxiety."

                                                                                                           Seol So-young