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Thu, August 18, 2022 | 18:57
Naver
Pikachu parades canceled due to safety fears
피카츄로 뒤덮인 동대문, 인파몰려 취소
Posted : 2014-11-16 16:20
Updated : 2014-11-18 12:43
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/Yonhap
/Yonhap
By Lee Ji-hye

Hundreds of people flocked to Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) on Saturday afternoon to watch the most popular Pokemon characters walk through in a series of parades.

However, the unexpectedly large crowd that gathered to see 10 Pikachu-costumed people wobble on through the cultural complex in northern Seoul prompted concerns about safety and resulted in two out of four performances being cancelled.

The event was held to celebrate the first Korean winning the world Pokemon championship.


Maekyung newspaper quoted an organizing committee member as saying, "The police were worried about the crowd and how it could have led to a possible stampede. So we decided to hold parades only at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. time, and cancelled the 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. shows."

Four one-hour performances were originally scheduled for each day between 2 p.m. and 6 p.m.

Eddie Cho, a member of the public, told the Korea Times, "I thought the absence of security personnel was alarming for an enclosed space such DDP's lower level.

"There were kids running towards the area, causing sand to fly in the air. When I saw another security guard later, he still didn't know any details of the Pikachu performances.

"I was disappointed about the event being cancelled, but I think it was done with the right intentions."
The costumed characters were all women shorter than 160 centimeters.

A Pikachu event was held in Japan in August to celebrate the release of a Pokemon movie. That event included more than 100 people in Pikachu costumes.



피카츄로 뒤덮인 동대문, 인파몰려 취소

동대문에서 피카츄 무리가 등장해 누리꾼들의 관심이 집중됐다. 

15일 오후 2시께 서울 동대문 DDP 어울림광장에서는 `피카츄 쇼타임 at DDP`가 열렸다. 

이날 10여마리의 피카츄들이 팬들을 위한 재미있는 퍼포먼스를 펼칠 예정이었으나 예상보다 많은 인파가 몰려 안정상의 이유로 취소됐다. 

행사 시작 전부터 인파가 너무 몰리자 동대문디자인플라자 관계자는 '경찰 측에서 인파가 많아 압사사고를 우려해 이날 오후 3시, 5시 타임 행사를 취소하며 오늘은 오후 2시에 이어 오후 4시 행사만 할 것'이라고 밝혔다. 

당초 행사는 이날부터 16일 양일간 오후 2시부터 6시까지 하루에 4회씩 진행되기로 계획됐다. 이번 행사에는 포켓몬 게임 시리즈 프로듀서인 마스다 준이치, 디렉터 오오모리 시게루의 인터뷰 및 사인회도 진행된다. 

피카츄의 실체는 피카츄 인형 탈을 쓴 키 160㎝ 미만의 여성 아르바이트생들이다. 특히나 수많은 피카츄들 중 `암컷 피카츄`도 끼어있어 더욱 호기심을 유발하고 있다. 

한편`피카츄 쇼타임`은 올해 여름 일본 요코하마에서 한차례 시작됐다. 지난 8월9일부터 17일까지 현지에서 열린 `피카츄 등장(Pikachus` Outbreak)` 행사에서 최신 포켓몬스터 극장판 영화가 개봉한 것을 축하하기 위해 출연했다. 당시 무려 1000마리의 피카츄가 거리를 활보해 귀여움을 독차지한 바 있다. 

피카츄 소식을 접한 네티즌들은 '피카츄, 인기 진짜 많다' '피카츄, 저러다 다치겠다' '피카츄, 다들 너무 귀엽다' 등의 반응을 보였다. 
Emailjlee@ktimes.co.kr Article ListMore articles by this reporter
 
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