Park Gang-su, Mayor of Mapo-gu, Pushes for Work Until 3 AM to Ensure Safety Around Hongdae Area

Hongdae AI Crowd Management System Fully Operated 24/7 with Mapo-gu Disaster Safety Situation Room and CCTV Integrated Control Room
1,710 Personnel Deployed Over 3 Days from 27th to 29th for Crowd Safety Management
AI Crowd Management System Alerts at Hongdae Club District... First Automated Action by Mapo-gu AI Crowd Management System

Park Gang-su, Mayor of Mapo District, along with district office officials and police officers from Mapo Police Station, have been strengthening safety management around Hongdae Entrance every evening from 7 PM to 3 AM, drawing attention.

Mayor Park has been working intensively from the evening of October 27 through November 1, surrounding Halloween Day.

Mapo District designated the six-day period from October 27 to November 1 as a focused crowd management period in preparation for Halloween Day, concentrating on safety management in the Hongdae Red Road area where crowds gather densely.

Accordingly, Mayor Park, along with Lee In-sook, Director of Administrative Support, Jeon Mi-kyung, Director of Citizen Safety, Song In-su, Director of Public Relations and Media, and Lee Ki-yeon, Head of the Press Team, have been repeatedly commuting to the field, becoming exhausted.

Mayor Park told reporters, "We are managing safety with no margin for error for the residents' safety," adding, "It is physically very demanding."

Mapo District's AI Crowd Management System, introduced on June 24 for thorough 24-hour real-time crowd monitoring, was activated twice consecutively by AI detection at 12:47 AM and 1:58 AM on the 29th.

The crowd gathered in the Hongdae club area during the early morning hours numbered about 50,000, approximately twice the usual number at the same time, causing severe congestion.

Despite repeated warnings from the AI Crowd Management System, as the crowd continued to increase, Mapo District immediately held a situation assessment meeting with Mapo Police Station (Chief Superintendent Im Seong-sun) and Mapo Fire Station (Chief Kim Yong-geun) for prompt crowd control.

At the meeting, Mayor Park Gang-su stated, "The congestion level around the club area is extremely high, raising serious concerns about safety accidents," and strongly insisted, "We must immediately control both directions of the roads in the club area and secure pedestrian pathways."

Following the situation assessment meeting, Mapo District Office and Mapo Police Station concluded that securing pedestrian pathways was necessary, promptly blocked both directions of the club area roads to control vehicle traffic, and urgently secured additional pedestrian pathways.

Thanks to Mapo District's swift safety measures and the prompt initial response by Mapo Police Station, the severe congestion in the club area noticeably decreased, preventing safety accidents caused by crowding in advance.

A senior official in charge of safety in the district said, "By activating the 'Safety Mapo Hotline,' which gathers disaster-related agencies in Mapo, and operating a joint on-site situation room with Mapo District, Mapo Police Station, and Mapo Fire Station, we were able to respond quickly and appropriately to the crowding situation."

First, the district urgently formed a 'Special Task Force (TF) for Safety Management,' centered on the Citizen Safety Division, which oversees crowd management safety, and conducts daily patrols to inspect risk factors during the focused management period.

From October 27 to 29, the special task force immediately removed 46 illegal advertisements and 94 hazardous deposits that obstructed pedestrian movement and narrowed passageways through patrols in the Hongdae area. They also carried out emergency repairs on seven road facilities and safety measures on four electrical facilities to prevent falls and safety accidents caused by road depressions and other hazards.

Additionally, safety fences were installed to designate right-side walking lanes in three sections of the Hongdae Red Road, including R3 and R4 sections, which are prone to crowding. District officials and police were stationed at key points, and patrol officers helped alleviate crowd congestion.

The total length of safety fences installed for right-side walking reached 550 meters, and from October 27 to 29, a total of 1,710 personnel were deployed for crowd safety measures, including 360 Mapo District officials, 1,050 police officers, 180 firefighters, and 120 volunteers.

In particular, the district's meticulous safety measure of designating the Hongdae Entrance, which experienced severe congestion due to two-way traffic, as a single exit and entrance stood out.

The district designated Exit 9 of Hongdae Entrance Station as exit-only and Exit 8 as entrance-only from 7 PM to 11 PM to prevent crush accidents caused by falls during severe congestion.

Furthermore, a field medical support team and a special 119 emergency situation room were set up at the Hongdae Red Road site to ensure rapid medical support.

From October 27 to 29, a total of 30 people used the field medical support team, all with minor injuries unrelated to crowd accidents.

Thanks to the district's meticulous safety measures and thorough response, no safety accidents related to crowding occurred during the critical period from October 27 to 29, the peak of Halloween.

Mayor Park Gang-su of Mapo District said, "We are well aware that a large crowd gathers at Hongdae Red Road during Halloween, raising concerns about accidents," adding, "Mapo District, together with Mapo Police Station, Mapo Fire Station, and other 'Safety Mapo Hotline' agencies related to safety, will unite with one heart and do our best to create a 'safe society where daily life is guaranteed,' allowing everyone to safely return home after spending their planned day."

He continued, "We also ask citizens visiting crowded places during Halloween to follow safety rules and cooperate to ensure that not a single safety accident occurs."

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