The anniversary of the October 29, 2022 crowd crush in Itaewon, Seoul, begins with the people who died and those whose lives were changed: families, friends, survivors, and people who live and work in the neighborhood. For a visitor planning a late-October trip, that context deserves attention before any question about costumes or where to go.
In an October 25, 2023 Yonhap report, Kim Hye-in, who lost her younger brother, described recording his story as a way to keep the tragedy from being forgotten. She also challenged the tendency to focus on why people went out that night, directing attention instead to her question about why safety personnel had not been deployed. Her comments were made at the launch of a book collecting accounts from bereaved people, survivors and local residents.
That perspective gives this article its starting point. People should not have to justify spending an evening with friends, and their lives should not be reduced to the circumstances of their deaths. Remembrance, acknowledgment and questions of responsibility deserve space in their own right.
There is no single response that a visitor can learn and then apply to everyone. Some people may want to talk; others may prefer privacy. Some may attend a public gathering, while others remember someone quietly. Taking care means leaving room for those differences, without asking anyone affected to explain their grief or approve somebody else's plans.
Why October 29 and October 31 are different dates
The crowd crush happened on October 29, 2022, during the weekend before Halloween. October 29 is therefore the anniversary of the disaster. Halloween itself falls on October 31. The dates are close, but referring to them accurately helps keep remembrance from disappearing into a general discussion of the holiday.
A commemoration may also take place on a different day from the anniversary. Check its own announcement rather than assuming that every gathering is on October 29, or that an event advertised for Halloween has a commemorative purpose. The 2026 arrangements below distinguish two gatherings with different participation conditions.
2026 remembrance and public safety notices
Checked October 22, 2026. All dates and times below are local Korean time. Arrangements can change; consult the linked notices before making plans.
- Public commemoration: October 24 at 5:30 p.m., Seoul Plaza. The Ministry of the Interior and Safety's October 6 announcement says no advance application is required.
- Formal fourth-anniversary ceremony: October 29 at 10:29 a.m., Gwanghwamun North Plaza. The application period was October 6–19 and has closed. The announcement does not establish walk-in admission; do not treat this as an open registration invitation.
- Crowd management: the ministry's October 20 notice designates October 23–November 1 as a special management period covering 28 priority areas nationwide. This describes planned measures, not a guarantee of conditions at a particular street or venue.
Different perspectives deserve to remain different
Before the first anniversary, an anonymous survivor told The Korea Times in October 2023 that acknowledgment from the government, police and local businesses mattered. That account places a responsibility on institutions and on how the tragedy is publicly remembered. It should not be repurposed into advice about what survivors ought to feel.
Other reporting shows why participation and remembrance cannot be sorted into neat opposing groups. In a November 1, 2025 report for CBS NoCut News, Joo Bo-bae interviewed a person who had lost a middle-school friend and was spending Halloween in Itaewon. The report also described people in costume attending a remembrance event. Those were individual choices reported on a particular evening, not evidence that everyone affected wanted the same thing.
These accounts were published in different years, by different reporters, speaking with different people. They do not form a timeline in which grief is gradually replaced by celebration. Nor can a handful of interviews establish what Koreans as a whole think about Halloween.
It is possible to hear one person's wish to participate without making it an expectation for somebody else. The same care applies to someone who avoids the neighborhood, declines an invitation, or does not want to discuss the anniversary. A costume, a restaurant reservation, or the absence of either tells you very little about what a person remembers.
Itaewon is a living neighborhood
People who work in Itaewon are also part of the community affected. In Jon Dunbar's October 2024 reporting for The Korea Times, Seoul Drag Parade co-organizer Heezy Yang described choosing event dates and locations carefully. Individual bar operators discussed avoiding macabre decorations or costumes. Simon Walsh of Itaewon Pub described how working in the neighborhood brought daily reminders of the disaster.
Those accounts help explain why a neighborhood cannot be understood through a simple choice between mourning and business. They do not establish a current, neighborhood-wide costume rule, and business activity does not measure how far grief has receded.
For a visitor, the useful adjustment is to approach Itaewon as a place where people have homes, jobs, relationships and memories. A memorial is not a sightseeing checkpoint. The site of the disaster does not need to become a stop on an evening itinerary, and there is no need to seek out the exact location to demonstrate that you care.
If you spend time in the area, be attentive to the ordinary people around you rather than looking for evidence that it has recovered. Visiting a shop or restaurant also should not be presented as supporting bereaved families unless a specific, verified arrangement actually does so.
What consideration looks like in practice
You do not need a perfect speech. Often, the most helpful choices are small and unshowy:
- Give people mourning space and privacy. Keep memorials and people paying their respects out of costume-photo backdrops.
- Ask before photographing an identifiable person. Be especially careful when someone is grieving; being in a public place does not make their experience yours to document.
- Keep passageways clear, and follow posted notices and the directions of gathering organizers and on-site staff.
- Let someone decline a conversation or invitation without explaining why. Avoid asking them to reassure you that your own plans are acceptable.
These are considerate practices, not a claim that Korea has one uniform legal or social rule for the anniversary. Local notices and venue requirements may add specific instructions.
If you are arranging something with friends, coworkers or classmates, make it easy to opt out without becoming the subject of a discussion. You can ask about preferences without requesting personal history. When someone shares a loss, listen to what they choose to tell you rather than asking for details or trying to draw a reassuring conclusion.
Separate practical reference: 2026 celebrations elsewhere
For readers already looking for a celebration, the relevant information is the current announcement for a specific event. Hongdae, Gangnam and Apgujeong are areas to investigate, not promises of a neighborhood-wide program. This section is separate from remembrance and makes no comparison about which area is safer or what anyone affected should find acceptable.
Hongdae: one confirmed organizer listing
YNA's own listing advertises its Halloween Special Party for Saturday, October 31, 2026, from 8:30 to 11 p.m. at YNA Lounge, fifth floor, 65 Wausan-ro, Mapo-gu, Seoul. The listed price is KRW 20,000 including tax. It describes a standing, bring-your-own-drink event, asks for advance ticket purchase, and requests a valid ID for age verification.
The page does not give a numeric minimum age, specify accepted ID documents, or explain accessibility arrangements. Confirm those details and current ticket and admission terms with the organizer before paying or relying on entry. An English-language listing does not guarantee admission for every visitor. The unspecified nearby after-party is not a confirmed venue or itinerary in this guide.
Gangnam and Apgujeong: check the actual venue
No specific 2026 party in Gangnam or Apgujeong is confirmed here. Before choosing a club or special event, look for a readable notice from the venue or organizer stating the year, date, exact address, start time, ticket or cover charge, age and ID requirements, and any other admission conditions. An old roundup or a post without a year is not enough to establish this year's plans.
The ministry's current crowd-management notice names Gangnam Station and Apgujeong. That designation is not confirmation that a particular party is taking place. For general context on venues and the trip home, see Korea Unboxed's nightlife guide; check the event's own current terms separately.
Planning for crowds has limits
The ministry's October 20 guidance advises avoiding expected peak congestion, identifying entrances and exit routes beforehand, following safety staff and managed pedestrian routes, and not pushing. If movement slows or pressure builds, try to leave the congested area before conditions worsen. Report a dangerous situation to 112 or 119.
This is prevention advice, not a promise that someone can simply walk out of a tightly compressed crowd. Once movement becomes constrained, individual choices may be severely limited. Responsibility for crowd management remains with the relevant authorities and organizers; practical advice must never become a way to blame people who were harmed.
A little ordinary preparation can reduce other difficulties. Agree on a meeting point outside the busiest area, keep your phone charged, and check the actual return journey before you leave. Have an alternative if your intended service is unavailable. Korea Unboxed's Seoul taxi guide can help with the basics, but current station, service and street notices take priority. Last year's closures or social-media maps are not this year's instructions.
Leave room for remembrance
Understanding late October in Seoul starts with acknowledging the people whose lives were lost and the people who continue to carry that loss. It does not require deciding how a whole country should observe Halloween or finding a point at which everyone should feel differently.
You can learn the context, respect the purpose of a gathering, give someone privacy, and leave a conversation where they want to leave it. For readers seeking current remembrance arrangements, the ministry's announcement is a practical starting point. The people being remembered, and the different needs of those affected, should remain at the center.
Sources and further reading
Current notices and event details were checked October 22, 2026. Historical reporting is identified by its original date. The accounts discussed here were reported by the outlets below, not gathered in interviews by Korea Unboxed.
- Ministry of the Interior and Safety: fourth-anniversary arrangements, October 6, 2026. Korean-language official notice.
- Ministry of the Interior and Safety: Halloween crowd-management measures, October 20, 2026. Korean-language official notice.
- Yonhap: bereaved families, remembrance and recorded accounts, Kim Hyun-soo, October 25, 2023.
- The Korea Times: perspectives before the first anniversary, Jon Dunbar, October 14, 2023; updated October 16.
- The Korea Times: local organizers and businesses, Jon Dunbar, October 14, 2024; updated October 15.
- CBS NoCut News: individual perspectives on October 31, 2025, Joo Bo-bae, November 1, 2025. Korean-language reporting.
- YNA: Halloween Special Party, organizer listing for October 31, 2026.
- Korea Unboxed: Nightlife in Korea and Taking Taxis in Seoul.
Illustration disclosure: The cover and article-card image are original AI-generated editorial illustrations. They do not depict Itaewon, the crowd crush, a memorial, or any person affected.
