Seoul Halloween crowd crush

On 29 October 2022, around 22:20, a crowd surge occurred during Halloween festivities in the Itaewon neighborhood of Seoul, South Korea, killing 159 people and wounding 196 others. The death toll includes two people who died after the crush. The victims were mostly young adults; 27 of the victims were foreign nationals.

The crowd crush was the deadliest disaster in South Korea since the sinking of MV ''Sewol'' in 2014 and the largest mass casualty incident in Seoul since the Sampoong Department Store collapse in 1995. It was the deadliest crowd crush in the country's history, surpassing a 1959 incident at the Busan Municipal Stadium in which 67 people were crushed to death.

A special police team conducted an investigation of the disaster within a few days, and concluded on 13 January 2023 that the police and government's failure to adequately prepare for the crowds, despite a number of warnings, was the cause of the incident.

Following the disaster and throughout the investigation, the government and police faced widespread criticism and protest. President Yoon Suk Yeol and his administration faced a number of protests that demanded his resignation, although he did not resign. Initially, the president accepted some responsibility for the event but later retracted the statement and deflected responsibility.

Background

History of the district

Itaewon is a part of the Yongsan District of Seoul. Its recent history is closely tied to the once nearby US military base Yongsan Garrison, which was established in 1945. Due to the numerous bars and brothels that arose in the area catering towards the troops, many Koreans have since associated the district with controversy and danger. Twenty years after the 1950–1953 Korean War, Itaewon gentrified, and in 2018 the US military moved its base to southern Seoul.

In recent years, the Itaewon district has been a popular location for nightlife gatherings, with trendy nightclubs, restaurants, and bars. It now attracts both Koreans and tourists, when previously more than two-thirds of visitors to its restaurants and bars were Americans. Itaewon has been seen as a place to escape the pressures of South Korean society, which has long been influenced by strict Confucian hierarchies and pressures to conform.

Beginning around 2010, the celebration of Halloween experienced a surge in popularity in South Korea, and especially in Itaewon.

Layout of the area

The area immediately around the crush is characterized by very narrow streets and alleys without escape routes. Nearby are Exit 1 of Itaewon station and the Hamilton Hotel.

The street where the crush occurred is about long and wide at its narrowest point. The street had an iron temporary wall that reduced its width. Its narrow width impeded emergency services attempting to enter it. The street slopes upwards from the main street of the district, Itaewon-ro. This incline later caused people to be pushed downward, with dozens of people falling onto others.

Authorities had been concerned since at least 2020 about the crowding issue, but did not act on these concerns. An expert in mass movement and spatial arrangement and behavior at Sejong University later said to ''The Washington Post'', "If you just surveyed the site and discussed possible countermeasures, anyone with instinct and experience would have been able to foresee the situation."

Conditions before the disaster

On the evening of 29 October, approximately 100,000 people, mostly in their teens and twenties, attended Halloween festivities in the area.

It was the first time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic that Halloween festivities could be attended without social distancing or mask-wearing requirements. After an outbreak of COVID-19 in 2020 was traced back to the area, authorities had even threatened partygoers in 2021 with harsh penalties if they violated the rules. When restrictions on social gatherings during the pandemic were lifted, they were able to visit freely.

Witnesses later reported that the streets were packed with people. An eyewitness claimed that around 19:00 local time ( KST), a walk from Itaewon station that normally took 1 minute took over 10 minutes.

Lack of government preparation

According to the local media, although Seoul had a real-time crowd size prediction system based on mobile phone data at the time, the system was not activated on the night of the crush.

Despite the massive crowds, it was later reported that only 137 police officers were on duty at Itaewon at the time. By contrast, 6,500 officers were assigned to monitor a protest of around 25,000 people elsewhere in Seoul on that night, and 1,300 officers had been assigned for a BTS concert for 55,000 earlier in the month. Reportedly, four days before the disaster, the Itaewon police substation had requested backup due to the anticipated crowds. Despite this, another police notice two days before the crush did not associate the size of the crowds with danger. It instead warned of sex crimes, theft, traffic congestion, and drug and alcohol abuse. An officer with instructions to wait to be dispatched in response to any crimes that night said that there had been no mention of crowd control that night or the days leading up to Halloween. In addition, the police later stated that they did not have a crowd control plan in place that evening because they did not have a central organizer.

According to a later statement by the national police chief, the Seoul police station received 11 emergency calls related to the size of the crowd as early as four hours prior to the incident, but did not intervene.

Disaster

One attendee said the crush started when a group of young men pushed others until people started falling. Some survivors claimed that because business hours were over, nearby establishments had also blocked people from entering to escape the crush.

The first call to the emergency service number 112 was made at 18:34. In the call, the caller said that an alley next to the Hamilton hotel was becoming extremely crowded and dangerous. The caller clarified after being prompted by the official that they felt that a large accident could happen if people fell over. Between that call and 22:00, at least seventy-nine emergency calls were made. Emergency officials said at least 11 calls were made by people experiencing compressive suffocation. Phone and internet reception eventually went out of service due to the large volume of communications attempted.

The exact time that the crush began is subject to disagreement. According to contemporary reports from multiple publications, the crowd crush occurred at 22:20. According to the analysis of ''The Washington Post'', which published an analysis of hundreds of pieces of evidence two weeks after the crush, the crush began at 22:08. Sixteen more calls arrived between then and 22:22, and videos show five officers struggling to pull out unconscious victims.

Videos made by eyewitnesses showed hundreds of people piled on top of each other, in five to six layers. Three off-duty United States Forces Korea soldiers, who managed to escape the crush by jumping onto a ledge, helped to pull people out of the crowd. One recalled that the crowd mass was deep at its worst point, which meant that "it was a long time for people stuck in there not to breathe". An officer noticed the crush while responding to a suspected altercation near the alley, and was recorded attempting to alleviate the flow of people by stopping more people entering the higher end of the alleyway.

Despite this, some people in the area were not aware that a disaster was occurring. Even after the area of the disaster was cordoned off by the police, some nearby bars continued to operate. A viral video showing some dancing people impeding the path of ambulances drew widespread condemnation.

Immediate emergency response to the incident

Following calls made to the fire department at 22:15, four ambulances were dispatched. The large crowd made it difficult for emergency vehicles to reach the scene. According to the National Fire Agency and the Interior Ministry, eventually 848 emergency personnel were deployed to the scene, including all personnel available in Seoul and an addition of 140 vehicles and 346 firefighters from across the country. On arrival, first responders struggled to extract still-breathing victims from the crowd, which delayed critical first aid and resuscitation.
An emergency message was issued to mobile phones in Yongsan, urging people to immediately return home because of an "emergency accident near Hamilton Hotel in Itaewon".

Emergency workers were not able to remove everyone from the crush until well after midnight. With resuscitation failing, bodies were laid on the streets by medical and police personnel and covered with blankets and clothing. Dozens of unconscious victims were eventually extracted from the crowd. Paramedics, police, and bystanders performed CPR on them. Videos on social media show bystanders dressed in costumes attempting to resuscitate the unconscious.

Eighty-three more ambulances arrived on site as late as 23:45. Many of the victims were transported to Soonchunhyang University Hospital near Itaewon.

US Army military police units of United States Forces Korea, who were conducting a routine patrol in the area with officers from the National Police Agency, assisted with first aid and maintaining public order on scene.

On 1 November, the government pledged to provide up to in funeral expenses, and in compensation. On 9 November 2022, a "one-stop" support center was opened for those affected by the incident.

Victims

, the South Korean government has officially reported a death toll of 159; this figure includes later deaths in connection to the crush.

The death toll in the immediate aftermath was widely reported as 157, consisting of 102 females and 55 males. Of the victims, four were teenagers, ninety-six people were in their twenties, thirty-two people were in their thirties, nine were in their forties, and thirteen had yet to be identified. In addition, 27 foreigners were among the dead.

On 14 November, ''Yonhap News'' reported that the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters had risen by one, to an official death toll of 158. On 12 December, a high school student was found dead in a Mapo District motel in a suspected suicide. The Ministry of Home Affairs and Security officially recognized him as the 159th death of the Itaewon disaster.

On 11 November, the ''JoongAng Ilbo'' reported that at least 197 others were injured, including 32 in serious condition.

Identification of victims

The number of missing person reports filed on the following day grew from 355 to 4,024. Police said that they would identify the victims and relay information to family members.

By the afternoon of 30 October, about 90% of victims had been identified. The remaining 10% (12 bodies) were of local teens or foreign nationals. Officials said it was initially difficult to identify the deceased because of their Halloween costumes or because many were not carrying identification. The Hannam-dong Community Service Center served as a temporary missing persons center. Officials who usually deal with birth certificates or home registrations assisted in identifying victims. Workers at the center answered phone calls from the public regarding the missing. In just over seven hours, the center logged at least 3,580 call hours related to the incident.

One of the temporary morguesthe Wonhyoro sports centerwas converted into a lost and found center for the identification of victims clothing and other items, with over 800 items recovered. Mobile phones and ID cards were kept at a local police station.

Mental health

Many survivors have subsequently suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The National Center for Disaster and Trauma and local mental health welfare centers were treating (as of 13 December 2022) over 1,300 cases of surviving victims and survivors of the victims of the disaster. The Ministry of Interior and Safety said bereaved families of the victims will be eligible for the same state support, such as financial relief, as with other victims.

In October 2023, the South Korean government reported 1,316 firemen who responded to the incident still experienced psychological trauma. The National Fire Agency said, at the time, these individuals were undergoing treatment from complications.

Publication of the names of the fatalities

No official list of the deceased has been released. On 14 November 2022, a list of 155 names was published, but this was widely criticized. The list did not disclose personal information such as the victims' ages, or show their photos. The Minister of Public Administration and Security claimed that he did not have a list of deaths, a statement that controversially conflicted media reporting.

Government response

Immediate response

The day of the incident, President Yoon Suk Yeol attended an emergency briefing. He suggested swiftly treating the injured and reviewing the safety of festivity sites. He addressed the nation the following morning, and later visited the scene of the incident. The Mayor of Seoul, Oh Se-hoon, who was on a trip to Europe at the time of the incident, returned to Seoul.

In the days following the crush, interior minister Lee Sang-min offered an official apology and National Police Chief Yoon Hee-keun said "There were several reports to the police just before the incident occurred and it was known that a massive crowd had gathered, indicating the urgency of the danger. However, information management was insufficient and there was no adequate reaction from the police".

Authorities did not immediately disclose what had caused the crush, but the chief of the Yongsan District Fire Department Choi Seong-bum said it was a "presumed stampede" and that many individuals fell. An official investigation was opened by the government, which promised new methods to prevent similar incidents. An investigation was also opened to determine if bars and clubs followed safety regulations.

On 1 November, government officials stated that it was not possible to predict the overwhelming crowd, but disaster prevention and urban planning experts refuted the government's position. They pointed out that authorities were aware of a large crowd due to the relaxation of COVID-19 rules, yet they deployed relatively few officers.

Investigation

The Korean National Police Agency (KNPA) launched an investigation into the crush within days of the event. On 13 January 2023, they announced their results. They found that the lack of safety precautions and other police errors contributed to the high number of victims. According to the KNPA, most of the deaths were caused by suffocation or brain swelling. According to the KNPA report, many died after falling and getting piled on top of them by other people from the crowd. South Korean police charged 23 officers, about half of them law enforcement officials, with involuntary manslaughter and negligence.

On 2 November 2022, the KNPA raided the city's police departments as part of the investigation. Investigative teams raided police units, fire departments, and offices to obtain documents for the investigation. An initial investigation uncovered that police did not respond appropriately to the emergency calls. Transcripts of the 11 calls made were released by the national police, noting that the Korean word which translates as "crushed to death" was used 13 times by callers. On 9 November, additional raids were made on the hotel adjoining the alley and two other locations, on suspicion that illegal extended structures from the buildings surrounding the alley had made it narrower over the years. On 11 November, a police officer at Yongsan Police Station committed suicide. He was being investigated on charges of abuse of authority, destruction of evidence and professional negligence for ordering the deletion of an internal intelligence report warning of the dangers of gathering crowds in Itaewon. That same day a senior official from the Seoul Metropolitan Government's safety support division was found deceased by an apparent suicide. While he had not worked at the disaster site nor was investigated by the police, he had been the final approver of documents for emergency checks on local safety measures and psychological counseling programs for the disaster. On 5 December, two former intelligence officers, Park Sung-min of the Seoul Metropolitan Government and Kim Jin-ho of Yongsan Police, were arrested on suspicion of destroying evidence related to the crush. According to CNN, they had ordered their subordinates to destroy an internal report about the risks of crowds in Itaewon on Halloween.

On 15 November, the firefighters' union sued the Interior Ministerwho is responsible for public safetyin order to force the police to open an investigation on him. The union wanted to challenge a government statement that the night was not an organized event, and therefore the responsibility of public safety was unclear.

On 20 January 2024, it was reported that the chief of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, a former intelligence officer, Kim Kwang-ho, was charged with negligence for failing to ensure there were enough officers deployed on the ground at Itaewon on the incident night. On 14 February, a court sentenced Park Sung-min to 18 months imprisonment for destroying evidence and gave suspended sentences to Kim Jin-ho and, Kwang Yeong-sok, an officer at Yongsan police station, on the same charges.

On 30 September 2024, the Seoul Western District Court convicted three police officers, including the former head of Yongsan police station Lee Im-jae, of negligence over their handling of the disaster and sentenced them to up to three years imprisonment. The court also ruled that the crush was not a natural disaster and that the incident could have been prevented had the defendants performed adequate preparation, coordination and supervision over the event. On 17 October, Kim Kwang-ho was acquitted on negligence charges relating to the disaster, citing insufficient evidence.

Parliamentary inquiry

On 9 November 2022, the opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), the Justice Party and the Basic Income Party submitted formal requests for an investigation. On 23 November 2022, the ruling People Power Party (PPP) abandoned its previous opposition to a parliamentary inquiry, and ruling and opposition parties agreed to launch a parliamentary inquiry into the Itaewon Halloween disaster. On 19 December 2022, the Special Committee Inquiry into the Itaewon disaster was formally launched by the head of the Special Committee, MP Woo Sang-ho, in the National Assembly. On 10 January 2023, the parliamentary special committee to investigate the Itaewon disaster held a first public forum with experts on the issue.

Criticism and protests

Unlike other mass calamity incidents that occurred internationally shortly before the 29 October 2022 Halloween disaster, such as the 2021 Astroworld Festival crowd crush in Houston, or the 2022 Kanjuruhan Stadium disaster in Malang, no official sponsors or organizers were associated with the Halloween celebrations in Itaewon.

Opinion polls conducted in November found that 7 out of 10 South Koreans believed that the government is responsible for the crush. However, there has been ongoing debate on how to assign blame.

Protests

Protests were held throughout South Korea, including in Busan and Jeju Island. On 5 November, thousands gathered in central Seoul at a candlelight vigil organized by Candlelight Action, a civic group linked to South Korea's main opposition party. Many held signs that read: "Step down, Yoon Suk-yeol."

Young people protested government inaction near the site of the crush on Itaewon-ro. A fourteen-year-old protester interviewed by ''The Guardian'' noted that lack of preparation caused both the 2014 ''Sewol'' ferry disaster and the crush. Some held signs that read "It could have been prevented. The state was not there." or "6:34 pm" in reference to the first emergency call.

Criticisms of the investigation

The handling of the investigation has also been the subject of criticism. Some have accused the investigations of focusing too much on front line working officials and not any of the police chiefs, or the Ministry of Interior and Safety.

On 22 November, some relatives of victims held a press conference. A six-point proposal called for, among other things, a thorough investigation of those responsible and the avoidance of consequential damage. The press conference was organized by the non-profit advocacy group Lawyers for a Democratic Society, or " Minbyun". On 21 December 2022, the bereaved families of many of the victims of the Halloween disaster called for more and swifter justice and lamented the continuation of widespread "unaccountability". The police investigation was criticized by the bereaved for failing to hold top officials accountable.

Criticisms of the government

In early November, the South Korean state announced that it would use the term "accident" instead of "disaster" to avoid damaging Itaewon's reputation as a popular tourist destination. The decision caused public anger. Some alleged that the term "accident" failed to appropriately attribute responsibility to the government.

Regarding the young man who committed suicide weeks after the crush, the Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said of the victim, "Wouldn't it be better if he had been firmer and had a stronger desire to receive therapy?", causing controversy. The opposition parties criticized it as "a shocking absurd statement that blames the victim".

At the time of the disaster, officers at the Yongsan District Office allegedly worked on removing leaflets criticizing President Seok-Yeol Yoon near the Samgak area of Seoul Subway Line 4, which some alleged may have delayed emergency response.

Both South Korean Minister of the Interior Lee Sang-min and the Interior Ministry's subordinate police have repeatedly acknowledged their roles in causing the incident. In a poll, more than half of South Koreans demanded the resignation of minister Lee. 57% of respondents said the government's investigation was insufficient. In February 2023, Lee was suspended from his position by the National Assembly for his handling of the disaster. He was succeeded by Han Chang-seob.

In addition, a document created by the police for the purpose of exploring the trends of bereaved families and civic groups related to the disaster after the disaster became controversial. The ''Kyunghyang Shinmun

HOME


Content is Copyleft
Website design, code, and AI is Copyrighted (c) 2014-2017 by Stephen Payne


Consider donating to Wikimedia



As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases