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656 police personnel to be deployed for crowd control on Christmas

December 23, 2022

 More than 600 police personnel will be deployed for crowd control in major tourist spots across the country for Christmas, which falls on the upcoming weekend, police said Friday.

A total of 656 police officers and eight riot squads will be mobilized for the duty in the 37 spots, such as Myeongdong, a major shopping district in downtown Seoul, and Haeundae Beach in the southern port city of Busan, during the weekend, according to the National Police Agency (NPA).

The NPA forecasts a combined 500,000 people to visit the sites.

The measure comes as the country is still reeling from the trauma of a crowd crush that killed 158 people during Halloween celebrations in the Itaewon district on Oct. 29.

Police will conduct real-time checks on crowd levels to prevent overcrowding, they said.

Also, a combined 1.24 million people are expected to participate in New Year’s Eve events at 269 spots across the country, the NPA said.

The agency is currently in discussion with local governments on the size of the police force for the day.

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