Visitors heading to Seoul’s popular nightlife districts for Halloween this weekend may face road closures and subway trains skipping crowded stations as authorities step up crowd safety measures.
Seoul’s special safety measures run from Oct. 23, with heightened monitoring from Friday through Sunday. Authorities are monitoring crowd conditions across 14 areas using AI-equipped surveillance cameras and real-time city data.
Here is what to know before heading out.
Areas under special watch
Eight areas have been designated for priority management: the Itaewon and Hongdae tourist districts, Ikseon-dong, Myeong-dong shopping streets, Seongsu-dong’s cafe district, the restaurant district near Konkuk University, Gangnam Station and Apgujeong Rodeo Street.
Joint on-site control rooms will bring together officials from the Interior Ministry, Seoul Metropolitan Government, district offices, police and fire services.
Six additional areas are also being monitored: Wangsimni Station, Yonsei-ro in Sinchon, Balsan Station, Sillim Station, Sharosu-gil near Seoul National University Station and Nonhyeon Station.
Road closures and pedestrian space
On Saturday, authorities plan to close Itaewon-ro to vehicles and convert one lane of Hongdae’s club street into pedestrian space. Itaewon-ro may also be closed on Friday depending on crowd conditions.
The designated section of Itaewon-ro runs from the entrance to the Itaewon area to the Cheil Worldwide intersection. The measures apply to the road rather than the entire Itaewon district.
Police will use three levels of traffic control depending on crowd density. The first involves managing illegal parking and obstacles. The second introduces partial vehicle restrictions while keeping an emergency access route clear. The third blocks vehicle entry.
Other roads subject to these measures include sections of Jandari-ro in Hongdae, Yeonmujang-gil in Seongsu-dong, Myeong-dong shopping streets and Donhwamun-ro 11-gil in Ikseon-dong.
Authorities will also separate pedestrian flows in narrow alleys and manage queues outside popular venues to keep walkways clear.
Subway trains may skip crowded stations
Itaewon, Hongik University, Seongsu and Konkuk University stations may face entrance restrictions or trains passing through without stopping if crowds become too dense.
These measures will depend on conditions at each station. They are not scheduled service suspensions.
Nearby stations include Noksapyeong and Hangangjin on Line 6 for Itaewon, and Hapjeong and Sinchon on Line 2 for Hongdae.
Ttukseom Station on Line 2 is near Seongsu. For the Konkuk University area, nearby options include Guui on Line 2 and Children’s Grand Park and Jayang on Line 7.
Check service announcements before traveling and follow on-site instructions, as access to surrounding streets may also be restricted.
How to check crowd conditions
Visitors can check area crowd levels through Visit Seoul’s real-time information page (https://english.visitseoul.net/realtime-seoul#) and the Seoul real-time city data website (https://data.seoul.go.kr/SeoulRtd/).
Road conditions and traffic restrictions can also be checked through Seoul’s TOPIS traffic information service, alongside navigation apps such as Naver Map and Kakao Map.
minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com
