Seoul: Prime Minister Kim Min-seok on Friday instructed government officials and police to take thorough safety measures to better manage crowded districts during the upcoming Halloween celebrations, his office said, ahead of the grim three-year anniversary of the deadly Halloween crowd crush. “Although major national events, such as the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, will coincide with it, nothing is more important than the safety of the people,” Kim said, urging all ministries and local governments to make all-out efforts.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the interior minister has designated nine days, from 5 p.m. Friday to 2 p.m. Nov. 2, as a special period to maintain a rapid response readiness for Halloween, during which joint inspections will be carried out across 33 regions, including Seoul and Gyeonggi Province. Kim also ordered the interior ministry and local governments, as well as police and fire authorities, to launch a joint system to monitor situations in real time and respond promptly to signs of crowding or accidents.

Kim’s office said this year’s Halloween is expected to attract larger crowds than in previous years as it falls on a Friday with cool weather predicted for the day amid the K-content boom and the recent resumption of visa-free entry for Chinese tourists. On Oct. 29, 2022, 159 people were killed in the country’s worst-ever crowd crush in Seoul’s Itaewon nightlife district during the Halloween weekend.