More than 153 people died in a crowd crush during a Halloween celebration in Seoul Oct. 29, according to the New York Times. Thousands of individuals gathered at the event as it was the first COVID-19 restriction-free Halloween celebration since the beginning of the pandemic. The tragedy prompted South Korea’s president to declare a weeklong period of national mourning, according to Reuters.
Markus Algard (’25), who is from South Korea, said he was devastated to learn about the surge.
“It wasn’t something that I was expecting,” he said. “I was, of course, very worried as I have many family members living in Seoul, but thankfully none of them were affected.”
Counselor Royce Wallace, who previously taught at a school in Seoul, also said he worried about his friends currently living there, some of whom witnessed the surge “My one friend was actually there, and he and another friend were on the other side [of the event],” he said. “They were shocked, and unfortunately, one of my friends threw up. They were really worried about the things that they were seeing.”
They were shocked, and unfortunately, one of my friends threw up. They were really worried about the things that they were seeing.
— Counselor Royce Wallace
According to The Guardian, the celebration involved 100,000 people, with police struggling to control the crowds. Many of the individuals killed were confined in a narrow alley, which is only suitable for six adults to pass through at one time, per The Guardian.
Amrita D’Souza (‘23) said she was unsurprised that the surge occurred in Seoul since it is a bustling city.
“I think that Seoul is a very busy metropolitan area,” she said. “It’s a very close-knit city. Even though South Korea is not a country where this event happens frequently, I didn’t find it too shocking that it would happen there.”
On the other hand, Algard said Seoul is a “very organized city” when addressing social issues and thus, did not expect a tragedy.
Javi Ceria (’25) said his friend in Seoul was “really alarmed” by the event.
“Luckily, he wasn’t affected by the crush, but he was distressed and took more precautions to be safe on Halloween,” he said.
Overall, Ceria said more regulations regarding mass gatherings at celebratory events should be implemented.
Luckily, he wasn’t affected by the crush, but he was distressed and took more precautions to be safe on Halloween.
— Javi Ceria (’25)
“There should be more regulations to keep people safe,” he said. “In New York, Halloween incidents are common, but there are regulations in place. I think Seoul should adopt restrictions to keep partygoers safe.”
Likewise, D’Souza said because mass celebratory gatherings are difficult to prevent, regulations should be implemented to avoid similar accidents in the future.
“These events cannot be stopped as they are a part of people’s culture and people should be able to celebrate that,” she said. “However, restrictions and guidelines should be imposed to safeguard these events so they don’t have to be discontinued.”
Ultimately, Wallace said students should be aware of their surroundings when celebrating Halloween or other events.
“My only advice is to be careful and mindful of where you are,” he said. “Try not to put yourself in that kind of predicament that’s going to be crowded or get to be a bit unsafe, especially if no one is patrolling.”
