Still no cause behind South Korean Halloween stampede that killed 154
11AliveOct 31, 2022
South Korea's police chief on Tuesday admitted to a "heavy responsibility" for failing to contain the deadly crush killing over 150 in Seoul's Itaewon district during Halloween festivities on Saturday, also noting that police received multiple emergency calls before it occurred.
South Korean Pres. Yoon Suk-yeol also acknowledged that crowd management needed to improve, saying such measures are needed "not only on these streets where this massive disaster took place but at other places like stadiums and concert venues where large crowds gather."
The government says it couldn't have predicted a deadly surge from overcrowding, but it clearly had the manpower and experience to do more. Beyond deploying more police, the police could've also restricted cars from large pedestrian areas, enforced one-way walking lanes, blocked entries to narrow pathways, and closed Itaewon’s subway station to prevent overcrowding.
President Yoon Suk Yeol has publicly taken responsibility for the tragedy that affected not only his own citizens but those from around the world. While safety measures should have been in place prior to Halloween, we should acknowledge his significant pledge to not only implement crowd control protocols in the future but to give individualized support to each family of the 26 foreign nationals who died.