Already Crowded... Armored Vehicle Deployed Ahead of Weekend Halloween

[Anchor]

Tomorrow, Saturday (October 31), is Halloween. This marks the first time Halloween falls on a weekend since the Itaewon crowd crush. A large crowd is expected to gather in various parts of Seoul starting this evening. Let us connect with our reporter live in Itaewon to check on safety measures.

Reporter Cho Min-ki, the area you are currently stationed in is not usually quiet on a normal day, but it looks even more crowded tonight, does it not?

[Reporter]

Yes, I am currently at the Itaewon World Food Street. This area is already bustling with large crowds on Friday night, just one day ahead of Halloween.

However, concerns were raised as this is the first weekend Halloween since the Itaewon disaster.

[Choi Min-gyu / Itaewon Merchant: There are quite a few cautious aspects ahead of Halloween. My only hope is that the customers who come out will stay safe, enjoy themselves without getting hurt, and return home safely.]

According to the Seoul Real-Time City Data, the real-time floating population around Itaewon Station, which stood at about 4,000 at noon today, increased to 6,000 by 7:00 PM.

It is projected to peak at up to 9,500 by midnight.

[Anchor]

Are the government and police entering a state of emergency preparedness?

[Reporter]

Yes, the police, together with the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, have raised the crisis alert to the Caution level and have commenced safety management.

Minister of the Interior and Safety Yun Ho-jung visited Hongdae, a densely populated area, to emphasize safety management.

[Yun Ho-jung / Minister of the Interior and Safety: We have selected 28 densely crowded areas nationwide and established separate measures for them. We are dispatching Grade-4 officials from the Ministry of the Interior and Safety as on-site situation managers….]

Earlier in the morning, Acting National Police Agency Commissioner General Kim Jong-chul personally visited the Itaewon site to inspect crowd control measures.

The police have selected 28 key management areas nationwide, including 14 in Seoul, and deployed approximately 7,800 personnel.

In Itaewon, special police assault armored vehicles and police dogs have even been deployed to prepare for any unexpected contingencies.

In congested zones, authorities plan to separate walkways to induce one-way traffic and block the inflow of crowds.

The police also plan to intensively crack down on imitation police uniforms that could potentially cause confusion among citizens on the streets, while also strengthening enforcement against replica firearms and weapons.

(Video Reported by Bae Moon-san | Video Edited by Kim Jun-hee)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.