Visitors to Itaewon on Halloween Day spend the evening quietly celebrate

 South Koreans avoided boisterous Halloween celebrations Saturday, the eve of the country marking one year after the deadly crowd crush in Seoul's Itaewon district that claimed 159 lives, with people mourning the death of the victims.

The crowd crush, the deadliest ever in South Korea, took place in the nightlife district of Itaewon on Oct. 29, 2022, a Saturday night when about 100,000 people flocked to the area for Halloween celebrations.

Late Saturday, Seoul's crowded entertainment areas, including Itaewon and Hongdae, were bustling with citizens and foreign tourists, just like any ordinary weekend, but there seemed to be no uproarious Halloween celebrations.

"I used to enjoy Halloween parties, but I've decided to spend this year's Halloween quietly due to last year's accident. I think it would be difficult to enjoy Halloween in Itaewon," said Kim Hyung-seok, 28, who visited Itaewon with his girlfriend.

Police, the fire service and district offices stepped up efforts to implement intensive crowd control measures. Police set up safety fences in alleys leading to the Hongdae subway station to enable people to walk in a two-way direction without getting tangled up.

Last year, victims were crushed to death in a narrow 3.2-meter-wide downhill alley in Itaewon, where a massive crowd surged in and packed the path, piling onto one another.

Police controlled traffic flows on roads near a hotel adjoining the site of the deadly accident in Itaewon in a bid to prepare for a possible increase in visitors for the Halloween weekend.

Ahead of the first anniversary, more people also visited a memorial wall for the victims of the Halloween crowd crush in Itaewon, placing flowers, snacks and drinks as well as notes carrying commemorative writings.

"It is regrettable that there were no measures that could have prevented the accident and the truth behind it has not been fully determined even after the tragedy," Ahn Ye-ryoung, 19, said.

Bereaved families plan to mark the tragedy Sunday with a public mourning event in central Seoul that includes a march from Itaewon to Seoul City Hall and a mass rally in the evening.