Almost a year has passed since the Itaewon crowd accident in South Korea, have safety measures made any progress?

It will soon be one year since the crowd accident that occurred in Itaewon, the downtown area of Seoul, South Korea. A board with many messages of condolences was set up near the accident site. board
``Memory is power,'' reads the message, ``I hope that with the power of our memories, we can create a world where disasters and disasters do not repeat themselves.'' Also, members of the bereaved family association are now
At a press conference on April 16th, he once again called for the punishment of those responsible. The accident occurred on October 29, last year, on a busy Itaewon street over the weekend before Halloween, killing 159 people, including two Japanese nationals.
passed away. Many of the victims were teenagers and young people in their 20s. Itaewon was once home to a U.S. military garrison, so it was famous as a place where foreign cultures gathered and people could experience that culture.
. It is also a tourist attraction that was the setting for the blockbuster Korean TV series ``Itaewon Class,'' which was streamed on the streaming video service Netflix, and is also a popular spot for Japanese tourists.
Although the area is bustling with people, there are also many narrow roads, such as back alleys, and the street where the accident occurred was a narrow slope about 3 to 4 meters wide. The narrow streets are filled with people
It is believed that some people fell during the incident, causing an avalanche of people in the street who fell on top of each other.
In this accident, it was pointed out that the security system was lax and that the police and fire department responded poorly. new
As Halloween was celebrated without restrictions on movement due to the coronavirus outbreak, a large crowd was expected, but only a small number of police officers were mobilized for security. Also, accidents
Several hours before the incident, police and fire departments received numerous reports such as ``There were so many people that they looked like they were going to be crushed to death.'' Citizens believe that the accident was caused by the failure of the police and government to take appropriate action.
There was an outpouring of criticism. In response to the accident, the National Police Agency established a special investigation headquarters consisting of approximately 500 people. In February of this year, the results of the investigation were announced, and local governments, police, fire departments, etc.
It was concluded that the accident was a ``man-made disaster'' because the organization responsible for responding failed to take preventive measures, such as neglecting safety measures in advance.
As a result of the investigation, the company found that safety measures and response to reports were insufficient.
Six people, including the local police chief, were arrested on suspicion of causing death or injury due to professional negligence, and 17 others were referred to prosecutors. On the other hand, Lee Sang-min, secretary of the Ministry of Administrative Security (a department corresponds to a ministry), and Oh Sehun of Seoul City,
Mayor Oh Se-hoon and top police chief Yun Hee-geun of the National Police Agency were found to be ``not guilty,'' as there was no specific duty of care to prevent the danger of crowds. Currently, former police officer
The trial of the police chief, the ward chief, and others continues. On the other hand, the bereaved families believe that the results of the investigation are insufficient and are demanding further investigation into the truth of the accident and punishment of those responsible.
The bereaved family association held a press conference on the 16th of this month, ahead of the one-year anniversary of the accident.
) The chairman of the steering committee complained, ``Even though a long time has passed, nothing has been clearly clarified, and no one has been punished.''
In order to prevent a repeat of this tragic accident, the police and Seoul City are working to prevent it from happening again.
In April of this year, police conducted a large-scale drill to draw in large numbers of people. Approximately 600 police officers, including those acting as pedestrians, participated in the training and reviewed procedures for guiding the gradually increasing number of people. movement
When the number of pedestrians increased to the point where it was impossible to do so, riot police lowered ropes and ladders from the top of buildings onto the road, pulled pedestrians up and evacuated them. In addition, the Korean National Police Agency uses “DJ Police” to guard crowds.
Introduced. Ahead of this year's Halloween, the city of Seoul has decided to introduce a human wave detection system using AI (artificial intelligence) to areas where crowds are expected. HQ camera and video analysis
It is a system in which a server automatically calculates the number of passersby passing through the city and reports it to the district office, Seoul City Hall, police, and fire department in real time. According to the Korean newspaper Chosun Ilbo, Seo Woo
A city official explained, ``By automatically understanding the situation before going out on patrol and sharing it, we can respond to accidents before they occur.'' An electronic bulletin board has also been installed to encourage traffic.
It is said to notify people of density and danger information. In addition, on the 22nd, the government, the presidential office, and the ruling party ``People's Power'' will carry out administrative measures at various locations across South Korea that are expected to have a large number of people during Halloween.
It was announced that a director-level official from the Ministry of Safety (a ministry equivalent to a ministry) would be dispatched to take "human wave safety management measures." We are determined to prepare ourselves for the challenge.