Crowd control measures keep fans safe during Korea's World Cup game

Football fans root for Team Korea in central Seoul's Gwanghwamun Square about an hour before the team's first match against Uruguay at the 2022 Qatar World Cup, Thursday. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul

By Lee Hae-rin

Amid growing nationwide concern over safety at large gatherings, no incidents were reported in the fan zone at central Seoul's Gwanghwamun Square, where supporters of the Korean national football team gathered during its first match in the Qatar World Cup on Thursday night.

An estimated 26,000 people gathered for Thursday's game against Uruguay, according to police. The gatherings of supporters at public fan zones, which have been organized every four years ever since the nation co-hosted the 2002 World Cup, drew concerns as the nation was still reeling from the deaths of at least 158 people in the Oct. 29 crowd disaster that happened in central Seoul's Itaewon. In light of that, the Korea Football Association had initially decided not to hold any street cheering events, but the Seoul Metropolitan Government later granted conditional approval for a fan zone at the public square in the center of the capital during the World Cup.

At around 8 p.m., two hours before the match began, the square was already filling with enthusiastic football fans wearing red T-shirts, Team Korea uniforms and glowing red devil horns. The crowd waved light sticks along with live music performances and chanted cheering slogans like "Dae-han-min-guk," the official name of Korea.

"Honestly, I was a little reluctant to come here, considering the fact that the deadly crowd crush in Itaewon took place less than a month ago," a Seoul-based office worker, who wanted to be identified by the surname Kim, told The Korea Times. "However, I feel safe here tonight. I think the police and the organizers have prepared the event well with enough crowd control measures."

Maha Al-saif, a Saudi Arabian national who is visiting Korea with her family, agreed that the event was "well-organized" and said she felt safe among the crowd even with her baby, thanks to the police presence and safety regulations.

Police officers were stationed two to three meters apart from each other along the fenced passage around the fan cheering zone. They blew whistles and guided the crowds, while their radios constantly sounded instructions to "prevent crowding at all times."

Another Seoul-based office worker surnamed Kim said he thought "more police forces were stationed for safety control," compared to the fan zone he went to four years ago during the Russia World Cup.

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As some spectators slowed down to watch the game on screen while entering the fan zone or moving around inside, police officers and the event organizers' personnel instructed them not to block the way, constantly asking them to "Please keep walking" while waving glowing batons.

"Cheering is important, but safety should come first," officials of the Red Devils, the group that organized the event, announced repeatedly before and after the match, informing people about the traffic control situation in the surrounding area and encouraging people to disperse into different sections of the fan zone.

This year, the outdoor fan zone was divided into five sections to prevent crowds from getting too big. According to an official from the Seoul Metropolitan Government, an area of 5,600 square meters was divided into five zones and prepared to accommodate 11,000 spectators, assigning one square meter for two people. Once the five sections filled up, others gathered around fences set up around the fan zone or sat on benches next to the Sejong Center.

The fan zone is divided into multiple sections in central Seoul's Gwanghwamun Square during Korea's first match in the Qatar World Cup against Uruguay, where an estimated 26,000 people gathered, Thursday. Yonhap

Unlike the previous World Cup four years ago, two additional giant screens were installed beside the largest one before the main stage. During the Russian World Cup in 2018, only one giant screen was installed and the fan zone was not divided into multiple sections.

For Thursday's event, the police stationed 41 officers and eight squads consisting of 480 personnel. The Seoul Metropolitan Government and Jongno District Office stationed 276 of their own personnel, while the event's organizer, the Red Devils, sent over 300 people handling safety, which is three times the forces stationed in 2018.

The fire authorities stationed 54 firefighting officials, nine fire trucks and four ambulances to be ready for any accidents from crowd gatherings. In the back of the fan zone, an emergency care center and all-source situation rooms were temporarily set up in booths.

Police are lined up in downtown Seoul's Gwanghwamun Square for crowd control during the Korean national football team's first match at the Qatar World Cup against Uruguay, Thursday. Yonhap

Road traffic was controlled to limit crowd size as well.

Until the referee blew the whistle at the end of the game, nearby bus stops were temporarily closed, and 22 buses that make stops there passed by without stopping.

After the game ended at around 11:40 p.m., the organizers made announcements encouraging people to take alternative subway stations like Gyeongbokgung Station on Line 3, City Hall Station on lines 1 and 2 and Jonggak Station on Line 1 instead of flocking to the closest one in Gwanghwamun.

Fans dispersed in an orderly manner following police instructions and no accidents were reported from Thursday's event.