(LEAD) Up to 125,000 gather in Seoul's Hongdae area on Halloween; 30,000 in Itaewon: data

Seoul hosted a staggering crowd on Halloween this year, with up to 125,000 revelers congregating in the lively Hongdae district, according to data released by the Seoul metropolitan government. In contrast, around 30,000-32,000 people gathered in Itaewon, the site of a tragic crowd crush in 2022 during the same holiday. The Itaewon area remained densely packed, with visitors in their 20s making up 50.6% of the total.

Police had previously pledged to deploy approximately 7,800 officers across the city to manage the crowds over the weekend, particularly at 14 key locations in Seoul. In Itaewon, some attendees even laid flowers as a somber tribute to the 159 victims who lost their lives in the 2022 tragedy during the Halloween weekend.