South Korean police guard the entrance to an alleyway where some of the 159 victims were killed after a crowd of people were crushed during Halloween festivities in Itaewon, South Korea, Oct. 29, 2022. (David Choi/Stars and Stripes)
SEOUL, South Korea — The U.S. military is ordering troops and other personnel to stay away from a popular nightlife district in the capital where 159 people died in a crowd stampede last Halloween season.
“All [U.S. Forces Korea] Servicemembers, families, civilians, and contractors should avoid the Itaewon area on Saturday,” said an alert issued Thursday by the Defense Department’s mass warning and notification system.
The Korean National Police Agency expects 100,000 to 150,000 people to gather in Itaewon to celebrate Halloween this weekend, along with several scheduled protests that include anti-U.S. groups, according to the message.
“USFK personnel should avoid the Itaewon area and refrain from all political activity,” the order said.
Up to 2,000 police officers are expected in the area to control crowds and “prevent a second occurrence of last year’s tragic loss of life,” according to the alert.
Itaewon — a stone’s throw from the U.S. Army’s Yongsan Garrison — is among Seoul’s most popular neighborhoods and is known for its bars, nightclubs and foreign restaurants.
As many as 100,000 people gathered there to celebrate Halloween on Oct. 29, 2022. The crowd became densely packed and in one narrow, sloping alley, people surged into a suffocating mass from which escape for many became impossible.
The death toll reached 159, with dozens of injuries, according to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters.
Three 2nd Infantry Division soldiers were recognized by their command for helping people out of the crowd, according to multiple news reports. Military police stationed at Yongsan also sprang into action and provided first aid.
The victims, mostly in their 20s, included 26 foreigners, among them two American university students. USFK said none of its 28,500 uniformed personnel or DOD employees were among the casualties.
South Korea’s National Fire Agency conducted safety inspections this week and will implement “crowd dispersal” measures between Friday and Wednesday in Itaewon, Hongdae and Myeongdong, according to a press release Thursday.
The release advised revelers to refrain from wearing police or firefighter uniforms as Halloween costumes so emergency responders can conduct their duties “quickly at disaster sites.”
The Ministry of Interior and Safety said it will use crowd-control equipment that tracks and predicts the density of a gathering based on cellphone usage in an area.
