[Itaewon Tragedy] All Festivals Halted... Gyeongnam Province Decides to Cancel or Scale Down, Safety Inspections to Be More 'Thorough'

Gyeongsangnam-do held an emergency countermeasure meeting related to the Itaewon incident.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Seryeong] Gyeongnam Province has decided to scale down all ongoing festivals and refrain from holding scheduled events.

Governor Park Wan-su, upon hearing the news of the Itaewon incident in Seoul, expressed condolences and ordered strengthened safety inspections for local festivals.

On the 30th, Gyeongnam Province held an emergency countermeasure meeting related to the Itaewon incident, chaired by Executive Vice Governor Choi Man-rim, with 18 cities and counties participating to re-examine safety measures for festivals and events.

The province will ▲ conduct a full safety re-inspection of festival venues across the province ▲ increase the deployment of safety personnel at entrances and exits of festival and event sites ▲ re-examine and visualize visitor flow at event venues ▲ ensure thorough emergency preparedness with police, fire departments, and other safety-related agencies ▲ recommend scaling down or canceling events and festivals during the national mourning period.

Governor Park emphasized, “Not only festival and event sites but also cable cars, monorails, and amusement parks in the province must be thoroughly inspected,” adding, “Make sure to carefully check the transportation means used by elementary, middle, and high school students on school trips.”

During the national mourning period, cancellation and restraint of various festivals are recommended, and all public officials are urged to uphold public service discipline.

According to the province, currently four festivals are underway, and including the Chrysanthemum Festival scheduled for November and other events and festivals, the total number is 14.

The province requires events with a maximum simultaneous audience of over 1,000 people to establish safety plans and undergo festival review by the Regional Safety Management Committee.

The Halloween party “HAPPY HALLOWEEN in Domin-ui Jip” scheduled to be held at the Provincial Citizens’ House and the former governor’s residence on the 30th was abruptly canceled, and Uiryeong County also decided to cancel the Youth Unity Festival.

During the national mourning period, all government offices including all cities and counties will fly flags at half-mast.

A provincial official stated, “We are reviewing whether to cancel various festivals together with cities and counties,” and added, “We will inspect compliance with safety plans for festivals and conduct special inspections in light of this incident.”

Governor Park said, “I am heartbroken over the tragic fatal accident,” and added, “We will ensure more thorough safety management for events where many people gather.”

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