October 23, 2025, Seoul, South Korea. The Ministry of the Interior and Safety of South Korea has released the final inspection results regarding the 2022 Itaewon Halloween stampede, stating that the major accident, which resulted in 159 deaths and 196 injuries, was caused by systematic dereliction of duty by government departments in terms of risk early warning, on-site emergency response, and command systems. The latest report highlights that the Seoul municipal government, the Yongsan District government, and police agencies all failed to take necessary safety precautions before the incident, ultimately leading to this national tragedy.
Event review: A tragic night of revelry
On the evening of October 29, 2022, the Itaewon area in Yongsan District, Seoul, attracted about 100,000 people for the Halloween celebration. The narrow alleys and bar streets gathered a large number of people in a short period of time. At around 9:30 p.m., a push and collapse occurred in a sloping alley beside the main street of Itaewon, and the order on the scene quickly got out of control. The crowd density exceeded the safety limit by three times, resulting in a serious stampede accident.
The accident claimed 159 lives, including 26 foreigners, and injured 196 people. Most of the victims were young people aged 20 to 30. In the festive atmosphere, they never expected that the joyous night would turn into a tragic scene in an instant.
After the incident, South Korean society was shocked, and nationwide mourning activities lasted for several weeks. The government established a “Special Investigation Team for the Itaewon Accident”, but due to the complex command system and unclear responsibility subjects, the investigation work once fell into controversy. The release of this supervision report is regarded as a systematic response to the truth of the incident.
Supervision results announced: Command absence and warning failure
The Ministry of the Interior and Safety of South Korea announced the investigation conclusion at a press conference on October 23, 2025, determining that the accident “could have been completely avoided”. The report indicates that before the accident, the police, fire department, and local government all received multiple alarm calls from overly dense crowds, but no substantive actions were taken.
That night, the Seoul Police Agency received a total of 11 reports related to congestion, but the police station command system did not conduct a risk assessment and did not activate the “Guidelines for Responding to Crowded Incidents”. The inspection team found that the distribution of police forces on the spot was seriously insufficient, with less than 60 police officers responsible for maintaining order along the entire main street of Itaewon.
A more crucial finding is that after the presidential office was relocated to Longshan District, a large number of police forces were transferred to the presidential security and demonstration response tasks. The supervisory report clearly pointed out that in 2022, due to the relocation of the presidential office, the number of protests in Yongsan District increased nearly 30 times, directly weakening the night patrol and crowd management capabilities of Itaewon. The report stated: “The security system that night was in a de facto blank state, and any minor chaos could lead to catastrophic consequences.”
Institutional loophole: Multiple departments act independently
The report criticizes the interdepartmental fragmentation of the South Korean government in crowd management and public safety governance. The Ministry of the Interior and Safety, the Seoul Metropolitan Government and the Yongsan District Government each have their own security authorities, but they lack a unified coordination mechanism.
- Seoul has not conducted a risk assessment for large-scale Halloween events.
- The Longshan District Government has not established a safety approval system for festival activities.
- The police department lacks an emergency command system for large-scale gatherings of people.
The inspection team pointed out in the report that after the accident, many officials exchanged information through instant messaging tools, but no one dared to issue orders for on-site evacuation or diversion, resulting in the loss of the golden time for rescue.
Responsibility and accountability: From administrative negligence to political responsibility
South Korean Prime Minister Han Duk-soo admitted at a press conference: “This disaster has exposed the fundamental flaws of the national security system, and the government must take full responsibility for it.”
At present, 11 officials have been prosecuted, including former chief of the Seoul Police Agency Kim Kwang-ho and District Chief of Yongsan District Park Hee-young. The inspection team suggested holding higher-level officials accountable for their management responsibilities and called for the revision of the Disaster and Safety Management Law.
President Yoon Suk Yeol said in a televised speech on the same day: “We must reflect deeply and ensure that the loss of every victim is not repeated.” He promised to establish a new national security coordination system through legislative reform.
Reform measures: Learn lessons from tragedies
The Ministry of the Interior and Safety announced that it will take a series of reform measures based on the inspection results:
- Establish a national crowd monitoring system: Install AI video monitoring equipment in densely populated areas of major cities to predict risks in real time.
- The local responsibility system requires local governments to submit safety management reports before major festivals.
- Optimize the emergency communication mechanism: Integrate the wireless communication platforms of the police, fire department, and medical systems to achieve real-time linkage.
- Regularized public safety education: Promote knowledge of “crowd self-rescue” through training in schools and communities.
The Seoul Metropolitan government plans to complete the first “intelligent crowd density early warning system” by the end of the year, covering core commercial areas such as Itaewon, Myeongdong, and Hongdae.
Family members and public opinion reaction: Although the truth has come to light, the pain has not yet subsided
Representatives of the families of the victims said after the government press conference that although the government has finally released the investigation results, “the chain of responsibility has not yet reached the top echelon of power.” The family committee called on the government to make public all the communication records of that night to clarify the delays in decision-making between the president’s office and the National Police Agency.
Major South Korean media generally believe that the results of this inspection “reveal institutional failure”, but society still expects to see deeper political reflection.
The Chosun Ilbo commented, “True security does not lie in accountability, but in completely rebuilding the country’s trust in public security.”
Reflection by the international community and the public
The Itaewon stampede incident has been listed by UNESCO as a “Warning Case of Urban Public Safety Management”. Governments of several countries are also studying South Korea’s experience and assessing safety measures for large-scale festivals and events.
Experts point out that the gap between South Korea’s urban structure, the density of entertainment culture, and public safety awareness is the deep-seated background of the accident. Most of the commercial streets in the Itaewon area have expanded in an unregulated manner, lacking effective evacuation routes, and the government’s supervision has lagged for a long time.
Conclusion: Institutional alarms and social scars
This supervision report, released in October 2025, is not merely a conclusion but a collective repentance of the South Korean government for the tragedy that occurred three years ago.
The release of the report marks the government’s official recognition that this disaster is not a natural one but a man-made calamity that could have been avoided.
South Korean society is rethinking the significance of public safety and government responsibility following the pain. The night sky of Itaewon was once again illuminated, but people knew that the shadow left by that night still reminded the entire country: without the vigilance of the system, there is no true security.
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