Police knew “a large crowd had gathered before the accident, indicating an imminent danger,” said National Police Chief Yoon Hee-keun, calling the way the information was handled “inadequate”. .
At least 156 people, mostly young people, were killed and dozens more injured when a panic broke out on Saturday night during Halloween celebrations in Seoul’s Itaewon district, after which dozens were trampled.
About 100,000 people were expected in advance, but due to the unofficial nature of the event, neither the police nor the local authorities actively managed the crowd. Police later said they had deployed 137 officers to Itaewon for Halloween, while another event in the city, which was attended by only 25,000 people, according to local media, mobilized as many as 6,500 police officers.