Junggu All-Out Effort for Citizen Safety in Year-End and New Year Myeongdong, etc.

Thorough Preparation for Year-End and New Year Crowds in Myeongdong, Namsan, Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP)
Safety Personnel Deployed Daily in Myeongdong: 43 People from December 23 (Sat) to 25 (Mon)
Comprehensive Measures Including CCTV Monitoring, Preemptive Crackdown on Traffic Hazards, and Establishment of Hotline with Related Agencies

Jung-gu, Seoul (District Mayor Kim Gil-seong) is taking thorough measures such as crowd data analysis, collaboration with related organizations, and strengthened on-site inspections to ensure that tourists visiting Myeongdong can safely enjoy the year-end and New Year holidays.

Based on last year's hourly crowd analysis data around Christmas in Myeongdong and recent floating population trends, the district predicted crowd congestion during this year's Christmas holiday period. The peak crowd is expected to exceed 82,000 people at 6 p.m. on the 24th, and to respond accordingly, 43 district office staff will be deployed on-site daily from the 23rd to the 25th.

In particular, at eight locations where visitors are expected to gather more densely?such as around Lotte and Shinsegae Department Stores where Christmas LED sculptures are installed, the area around Myeongdong Cathedral where the ‘2023 Myeongdong, Lighting Up Winter’ festival is held, Snow Square, Myeongdong Station, and the Central Post Office?2 to 3 personnel will be permanently stationed to monitor crowd density, maintain order, and ensure safety measures. A hotline between workers will also be established to share real-time on-site situations.

The district will also intensively monitor 37 intelligent CCTVs installed in Myeongdong before and after Christmas. The Jung-gu Office Integrated Safety Center will share crowd density information with on-site personnel, and from level 2 (density of 4 people/㎡ or less), announcements will be broadcast through CCTV speakers.

At Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP), where the ‘Seoul Light DDP 2023 Winter’ and year-end countdown events are held, CCTV monitoring and on-site patrols will be conducted simultaneously from 9 p.m. on the 31st (Sunday) until 1 a.m. the next day to prepare for any possible accidents.

At Namsan Palgakjeong, it is expected that up to 11,000 people will gather for the New Year’s sunrise on January 1st, and joint responses will be coordinated with the Jungbu Park Leisure Center and Jungbu Police Station.

Earlier, on the 6th, the district held a working-level meeting with related organizations including Namdaemun Police Station, Jungbu Fire Station, Myeongdong Station Manager, and Shinsegae Department Store representatives to share each agency’s response plans and establish a continuous communication system. Subsequently, safety management plans for each event were reviewed, and deficiencies were supplemented through joint pre-inspections with related organizations.

On the 20th (Wednesday), a joint inspection by related departments will be conducted to check for any hazardous elements while walking in Myeongdong. Illegal storage and outdoor advertisements piled up by street vendors or stores will be cleaned up, and the walking environment will be inspected for any damaged sidewalks.

Kim Gil-seong, Mayor of Jung-gu, stated, “Jung-gu will do its best to manage crowd density so that tourists visiting Jung-gu can enjoy the year-end and New Year holidays with peace of mind.”

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