Halloween in Seoul 2026: Hongdae, Itaewon and Seongsu Among 28 Crowd-Control Zones, Oct. 23 to Nov. 1
Ahead of Halloween on Saturday, Oct. 31, the government is running a 10-day special crowd management period from Oct. 23 to Nov. 1. It covers 28 locations nationwide, 14 of them in Seoul.
Half of the 28 zones are in Seoul
The Interior and Safety Ministry held an interagency meeting on Oct. 20 to review the plan. The 28 zones are 14 in Seoul, four in Gwangju and Jeonnam, three in Busan and others.
Advance inspection teams and on-site situation managers go to the 12 spots expected to draw the biggest crowds, and they stay to monitor conditions on Halloween until crowds disperse safely.
The eight priority areas in Seoul
They are Itaewon, Hongdae, Seongsu-dong, the Konkuk University area, Gangnam Station, Apgujeong, Myeong-dong and Ikseon-dong. That covers most of the neighbourhoods visitors head to at night.
The other priority areas are Cheomdan in Gwangju, Seomyeon in Busan, Dongseong-ro in Daegu and Dunsan-dong in Daejeon.
Itaewon: about 2,550 people on the ground
Yongsan District Office will deploy about 2,550 personnel from the district office, police, fire stations, Seoul Metro, the military and merchant volunteers from Oct. 23 to Nov. 1. It expects 165,000 visitors.
The zone covers World Food Street, Haebangchon, Gyeongnidan-gil and Yongnidan-gil.
A four-stage crowd index drives the response
Yongsan combines AI CCTV, a real-time smart map, subway arrival counts, Seoul's live urban data and the ministry's crowd alerts into a four-stage congestion index. When a threshold is passed, the control centre checks the live feed and steps in.
A mobile disaster command bus will be stationed in Itaewon from Oct. 30.
The ministry's four safety rules
The ministry asks people to avoid crowded places at expected peak times and, if they go, to check exits and escape routes first. In narrow alleys, on slopes and on stairs, keep a safe distance from others.
Follow staff and walk one-way on the right, and do not stop suddenly or push. If movement slows or you feel pressure, leave the area at once, and report danger to 112 or 119.
Why the heavy presence
The 2022 Itaewon Halloween crowd crush killed 159 people, and Yongsan says the plan is meant to prevent a repeat.
Over the weekend of Oct. 30 to Nov. 1, ministry section-chief-level managers will be on site in the 12 biggest spots until the crowds disperse.
Sources & context
2026-10-21T06:31:22.020Z
Ministry of the Interior and Safety press release ↗Seoul Economic Daily ↗The Korea Times ↗Wikimedia Commons ↗Wikimedia Commons ↗Photo credit
Ken Eckert (Wikimedia Commons) · CC BY-SA 4.0Hongdae's nightlife streets (March 2014; not a photo of this year's Halloween). Ken Eckert / CC BY-SA 4.0.
Photo credit
Sgroey (Wikimedia Commons) · CC BY-SA 4.0Myeongdong night market (August 2024; not a Halloween photo). Sgroey / CC BY-SA 4.0.