BUSAN — The Busan Metropolitan Government is conducting a final review of its safety management plan ahead of the 21st Busan Fireworks Festival on Nov. 7. The city said it would convene its Safety Management Committee on the 27th to discuss spectator safety and response measures covering traffic, firefighting and maritime operations.
More than 1 million people are expected to gather for the festival, which will be held around Gwangalli Beach, Igidae and Dongbaekseom. About 40 committee members, including Mayor Jeon Jae-soo as chair and heads of disaster management agencies, along with private-sector explosives experts, will attend the meeting to review each agency's safety plan and cooperation framework.
The city has held working-level review meetings since last month, and on the 22nd it convened a regional safety council chaired by the administrative vice mayor to examine pedestrian routes, evacuation paths and medical, firefighting and maritime response systems. The committee meeting will also address operation of an integrated situation room, public transit measures and crowd flow management. The city plans to supplement its plans for managing crowd density following an expansion of paid seating.
On the day of the festival, about 7,000 personnel responsible for safety management and crowd control — including 1,921 city employees — will be deployed on site. They will monitor closed-circuit television footage at the venue in real time and manage spectator flow in major areas including the vicinity of Gwangalli Beach, Geumnyeonsan, Suyeong Riverside Park, Yongho Starlight Park, the Igidae Eoulmadang plaza and Dongbaekseom.
"Public safety must come first, and we must thoroughly prepare for accident prevention and on-site response," Jeon said. "Do not let your guard down until every spectator has returned home, and devote yourselves to on-site response."