Halloween fest turns into chaos
Itaewon, Seoul’s expat enclave also known for its vibrant nightlife, was packed with Halloween partygoers as well as police over the weekend through Tuesday, which was Halloween.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the Yongsan Police Station dispatched officers to places in Itaewon 372 times from Friday to Tuesday — around 100 cases more than the same period a week earlier. From Friday 6 p.m. to Saturday 6 a.m., police were sent out 84 times.
Many of the cases were assaults that occurred due to trivial reasons exacerbated by alcohol, but there were also cases of theft and sexual assault at clubs.
On Sunday morning at 1:40 a.m., police received a report that coats and belongings which had been left in a locker at a club went missing.
The victims had dropped the locker key at the club, which three people including a man in his 20s had picked up, taking items and cash worth 5 million won ($4,490).
The police secured surveillance camera footage of the man and apprehended him in the area at around 6:30 a.m. The victims were able to get their belongings and cash back.
On Sunday at 4:50 a.m., a man was booked on charges of assaulting a woman at a club. The male college student had made an advance on the woman in her 20s, but after she rejected him, he told her she “needed to lose weight” and assaulted her.
Police mobilized twice as many patrolmen in Itaewon as usual for weekends. Yongsan Police Station was quoted as saying some of the patrolmen were mistaken as partygoers wearing police uniforms as their Halloween costume.
Itaewon’s main alley behind Hamilton Hotel swarmed with masses of costumed partiers includ- ing U.S. President Donald Trump, Disney princesses and Jesus, who were busy taking photos with passersby. People lined up to get their faces painted with blood and gore at booths along the alley, and formed long lines to get into clubs. Bars along the alley were packed to the extent it was hard to find empty tables.
Crowds lined the streets to catch cabs in the early hours of the mornings, with many walking long distances to other areas for a better chance of getting a ride home.
Celebration of the Western-originated festival of Halloween has grown among young people here, due to the influence of American pop culture and the growing expat community.
The annual holiday of Halloween is celebrated on Oct. 31. It is believed to have originated from ancient Celtic or pagan traditions, and is held on the eve of the Christian feast of All Hallows’ Day.