Ministry of Interior and Safety Goes All-Out for Halloween Crowd Control
Ministry of Interior and Safety Goes All-Out for Halloween Crowd Control
On October 29, 2025, the Ministry of Interior and Safety (MOIS), under the leadership of Minister Yoon Ho-jung, convened a ‘Halloween Mass Gathering Safety Management Measures Review Meeting’ and initiated a comprehensive response system to prevent safety accidents during the Halloween period. The meeting involved 21 organizations, including central government ministries such as the MOIS, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the National Police Agency, and the National Fire Agency, as well as 9 cities and provinces and disaster management responsibility agencies, reflecting the government's high level of concern regarding Halloween crowd management. Minister Yoon Ho-jung emphasized inter-agency cooperation at the meeting, urging comprehensive safety management measures with public safety as the top priority. He specifically requested that priority be given to pre-emptive inspections of areas expected to draw large crowds during the Halloween period and to eliminate potential hazards in advance.
To prevent safety accidents during the Halloween period, the MOIS has designated October 24 to November 2 as the ‘Halloween Crowd Management Special Measures Period’ and raised the crisis alert level to ‘Caution’. This proactive measure is aimed at preparing for the possibility of safety accidents due to expected crowd density during the Halloween festival, demonstrating a commitment to establishing a strengthened safety management system based on lessons learned from the Itaewon Halloween tragedy. The ‘Caution’ crisis alert level aims to strengthen cooperation among relevant agencies during the Halloween period and to enhance accident prevention activities by increasing on-site safety management personnel. In addition, the MOIS emphasized that it is important for citizens to follow safety rules and plans to strengthen public awareness campaigns to raise safety awareness during the Halloween period and to enable rapid response in the event of dangerous situations.
The meeting included the sharing of results from prior inspections of 33 nationally designated priority management areas and related measures. The preliminary inspections revealed areas for improvement, such as inadequate safety facilities and concerns about crowd density in some regions. The MOIS instructed that corrective actions be completed in these areas and that safety management plans be reviewed. In particular, the MOIS dispatched on-site situation management support officers to 12 priority management areas, including Itaewon, Hongdae, Seongsu-dong, Konkuk University area, Gangnam Station, Apgujeong, Myeongdong, and Ikseon-dong in Seoul, as well as Seomyeon in Busan, Culture and Theme Street in Incheon, Dongseong-ro in Daegu, and Chungjang-ro in Gwangju, to directly inspect the implementation of safety measures. The on-site situation management support officers will meticulously verify whether safety management plans have been properly established, the deployment status of safety personnel is adequate, and emergency contact networks are complete, and will take immediate corrective measures if any deficiencies are found. The MOIS intends to do its best to prevent safety accidents that may occur during the Halloween period and to ensure that the public can enjoy the Halloween festival safely.
Meanwhile, at 10:29 a.m. on October 29, 2025, the government's first official memorial event for the 3rd anniversary of the Itaewon Halloween tragedy was held at Gwanghwamun Buk Square in Jongno-gu, Seoul. The 'Itaewon Tragedy 3rd Anniversary Memorial Service,' co-hosted by the Seoul Metropolitan Government and the Ministry of Interior and Safety, began with a one-minute memorial siren sounding throughout Seoul. In his memorial address, President Lee Jae-myung prayed for the repose of the victims and expressed his deepest condolences to the bereaved families, pledging to do his best to create a safe Republic of Korea so that such a tragedy would never be repeated. In addition, the government stated that it is comprehensively reviewing the disaster safety management system as a result of the Itaewon tragedy and is working to establish a prevention-oriented safety management system. In particular, it emphasized that it will focus on strengthening safety management in crowded areas, establishing a rapid response system in the event of a disaster, and fostering public safety awareness to create a society where people can live with peace of mind.
