Police uniform costumes to be forbidden during Halloween celebrations

Police officers control an alley in central Seoul's Itaewon, Oct. 31, 2022, near the site of the Halloween crowd disaster that killed at least 158 people a few days earlier. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul

The National Police Agency (NPA) announced, Thursday, its plan to implement stringent controls on the selling and wearing of police uniforms as costumes during Halloween celebrations.

The plan comes after rescue operations were hindered by festival participants dressed in police uniforms during last year's tragic Itaewon crowd crush.

The crackdown on police costumes began on Tuesday and is set to continue until Nov. 5. Both the sale and wearing of police costumes will be subject to the control measures.

Wearing a police costume can lead to confusion, especially in emergency situations, according to the NPA. The misidentification of partygoers dressed as police as well as genuine police officers not in uniform can impede safety management, the NPA added.

Regarding the deadly crowd crush that claimed at least 158 lives in Itaewon on Oct. 29 last year, it was noted that dispatched police officers were mistakenly perceived as civilians wearing costumes due to other people dressed up as police. This confusion resulted in a delay in responding to the disaster.

The current law prohibits individuals who are not police from wearing uniforms or similar clothing resembling official police uniforms, or possessing equipment used by police.

Those who violate the law face up to six months imprisonment or up to 3 million won ($2,207) in fines. Sellers may face up to one year in prison or up to 10 million won in fines.

A screenshot of an online portal site selling police uniforms for Halloween costumes

Nevertheless, a year after the disaster, ads for police-related Halloween costumes can easily be found on online portals and used item markets.

Costumes are being sold for prices ranging from 10,000 won to 30,000 won, while equipment such as batons, walkie-talkies and handcuffs resembling those used by actual police officers are available for 50,000 won to 60,000 won.

The NPA has taken action in a total of 42 cases of violations of the law, including the removal of online posts, through continuous inspections of 51 portal sites and used item markets since last Halloween. Also, 19 individuals have been arrested for violating related laws, and three cases are currently under investigation.

"We are conducting thorough inspections on each portal site and online market in advance of Halloween, and we also plan to introduce guidelines on adult costumes that could confuse the public,” an NPA official said.