{
  "id": 17197793,
  "title": "Police to deploy 7,800 personnel nationwide for crowd safety during Halloween",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/30/police-to-deploy-7-800-personnel-nationwide-for-crowd-safety-during-17197793",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-30T08:22:03.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Korea Times",
    "slug": "the-korea-times-koreatimes",
    "url": "https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/southkorea/20261030/police-to-deploy-7800-personnel-nationwide-for-crowd-safety-during-halloween"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The National Police Agency (NPA) plans to deploy approximately 7,800 personnel nationwide to ensure crowd safety during Halloween celebrations over the upcoming weekend, officials announced on Friday. This is the fourth Halloween since the tragic Itaewon crowd crush in 2022, which resulted in 159 deaths when people were crushed in a narrow alleyway in a popular Seoul nightlife district.\n\nThe NPA has designated a special safety management period from Friday to Sunday, during which riot police, regional patrol teams, and detectives will be dispatched mainly to 28 key areas across the country. Of these, 14 locations are situated in Seoul, the nation's capital. The primary objective is to prevent any recurrence of the Itaewon tragedy, which claimed the lives of 159 people in 2022.\n\nTo manage crowds effectively, police will split pedestrian traffic in narrow bottleneck areas and guide individuals to walk in a single direction. If crowd density becomes dangerously high, police will restrict incoming traffic from the perimeter to create open space for people to disperse. The police will also share real-time data with relevant agencies and dispatch officers promptly to scenes in case of any crowd-related incidents.\n\nBy deploying a significant number of personnel and implementing strategic crowd management measures, the authorities aim to maintain safety and prevent similar tragedies from occurring during Halloween celebrations in 2024.",
  "summary": "Police will deploy around 7,800 personnel across the nation to manage crowds celebrating Halloween over the weekend, officials said Friday, as the country prepares for its fourth Halloween since the deadly 2022 Itaewon crowd crush. The National Police Agency (NPA) said it will operate a special safety management period from Friday to Sunday. During the period, riot police, regional patrol teams…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "South China Morning Post",
        "title": "France on alert as 70,000 police mobilised for Halloween protests",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/30/france-on-alert-as-70-000-police-mobilised-for-halloween-protests",
        "published": "2026-10-30T05:25:54.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Yonhap News",
        "title": "Police to deploy 7,800 personnel nationwide for crowd safety during Halloween",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/30/police-to-deploy-7-800-personnel-nationwide-for-crowd-safety-during",
        "published": "2026-10-30T07:01:53.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}