Mapo-gu Halloween Crowd Accident ZERO... Special Safety Management and Inspection in Hongdae

Published 24 Oct.2023 06:46(KST)

Updated 24 Oct.2023 06:46(KST)

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Deployment of 2,850 Former Officials, Police, and Firefighters to Prevent Crowds and Traffic Congestion at Former Halloween Hongdae Incident
...Hongdae AI Crowd Management System and Mapo-gu Disaster Safety Situation Room with CCTV Integrated Control Room Operating 24/7
District Mayor Park Gang-su: "Full Effort to Ensure Zero Safety Incidents on Hongdae Red Road During Halloween"

On the 23rd, the Mapo District Office Disaster and Safety Situation Room held the Mapo District Safety Management Committee meeting in preparation for the Halloween event. At the meeting, all nine institutions of the Safety Mapo Hotline, including the Mapo Police Station and Mapo Fire Station, attended to discuss safety measures during the Halloween period.

Mapo-gu (District Mayor Park Kang-su) announced that it will conduct special safety management for large crowds around the Hongdae Red Road area from October 27 to November 1, in cooperation with the police, fire department, and other agencies ahead of Halloween on the 31st.

Based on the number of passengers boarding and alighting at Hongdae Entrance Station during last year’s Halloween period, the district expects a crowd of 40,000 to 70,000 people to gather in Hongdae this year, and urgently formed a “Halloween Situation Management Special TF” centered on the Citizen Safety Division.

Subsequently, the district established joint safety management measures with related organizations such as the Mapo Police Station, Mapo Fire Station, Seoul Metro, and Hongdae Merchants Association. On the 23rd, the “Safety Mapo Hotline” was convened at the Mapo-gu Disaster Safety Situation Room to hold the “Halloween Preparedness Mapo-gu Safety Management Committee.”

From the 27th, a joint on-site situation room will be set up at the KT&G Sangsangmadang Plaza in Hongdae for five days, where officials from the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, Mapo Police Station, and Mapo Fire Station will share CCTV monitoring status, disaster safety situation room updates, and on-site patrol conditions in real time, enabling quick situational assessment and immediate response dissemination.

An emergency medical station, including four medical personnel and one ambulance, will also be operated to promptly respond to any emergency situations.

The district plans to actively utilize the AI crowd management system currently installed and operated at six locations including the Hongdae club district and around Hongdae Entrance Station. The AI analyzes crowd density through CCTV screens and displays warning messages and voice alerts indicating normal, caution, or danger levels, allowing pedestrians to easily recognize the situation.

Additionally, the Mapo-gu CCTV Control Center and Disaster Safety Situation Room, which operate 24 hours a day, will continuously monitor the on-site situation through CCTV and immediately disseminate information to initiate initial response measures.

For on-site response and guidance inspections requiring human intervention, a total of approximately 2,850 safety management personnel will be deployed over five days, including 600 Mapo-gu officials, 1,750 police officers, 300 firefighters, and 200 civilian personnel.

On-site inspections will begin at 7 p.m. on the 27th and continue until 3 a.m. on November 1, when Halloween ends. The district will divide the area for focused management: joint inspections and traffic guidance by district officials and police will be conducted in the Hongdae club district, Hongdae Entrance Station exits 8 and 9, and Red Road sections R3 to R5; meanwhile, the Mapo-gu Volunteer Crime Prevention Unit, Hongdae Merchants Association, and Tourism Environment Security Officers will jointly inspect Red Road sections R1, R2, and R6.

The Mapo Police Station (Chief Superintendent Lim Seong-sun) plans to set up police information booths on Hongdae Hongtong Street and the club district, and install safety fences in congested pedestrian areas to secure walkways. If the risk level is judged to be severe, vehicle entry will be prohibited and traffic control measures will be implemented.

The Mapo Fire Station (Chief Kim Yong-geun) will also conduct fire patrols and station 75 fire trucks and ambulances near the Hongdae club district for five days to prepare for fires. Additionally, 24 “visible fire extinguishers” have been installed around the Red Road area for public use.

Exit 9 of Hongdae Entrance Station, which is usually congested, will be used exclusively as an exit by Seoul Metro to ensure pedestrian safety. The station manager stated, “Exit 8 will be used exclusively as an entrance, and other exits will be flexibly utilized depending on the situation, with thorough guidance provided to users.”

Park Kang-su, Mayor of Mapo-gu, said, “Hongdae Red Road is a place with a significant floating population even under normal circumstances, so all institutions involved in the Safety Mapo Hotline, including the police and fire department, need to respond with heightened vigilance. We believe that safety measures to protect the lives of residents are better to be excessive than insufficient, and we will do our best to ensure the safety of residents and tourists visiting Hongdae during the upcoming Halloween period.”