At 8 p.m. on the 5th, the area around Seokchon Lake overflowed with crowds as the cherry blossoms hit their peak. The walking paths around the lake were packed with people who had come to see the flowers, leaving no room to move, but the scene itself was shrouded in darkness. Only the lights of nearby buildings shimmered chaotically on the surface of the lake, while the lights to illuminate the blossoms were turned off.
People took photos by the light of their phones to ease their disappointment. Complaints broke out in many places, asking, "Why aren't the lights on?" On-site safety personnel said, "We had no choice but to turn off the lights because too many people gathered and there were safety concerns."
The situation was similar at nearby crosswalks and roads. When the signal changed, hundreds of people crossed at once and filled the roadway, and the sidewalks around it were packed with people waiting, making it virtually impossible to move. Park, a 26-year-old office worker who came to see the cherry blossoms, said, "I came for the cherry blossoms and ended up seeing only the backs of people's heads," and added, "I came after hearing the night lights would be on, but they turned them off without any guidance."
As crowds flocked to the Seokchon Lake cherry blossom festival, Songpa District did not turn on the night lights starting on the 3rd, the first day of the festival. It was a measure to ease crowding. But visitors complained that there had been no prior notice and that crowd control was inadequate.
According to the Seoul Metropolitan Government on the 6th, about 100,000 to 105,000 people gathered around Jamsil Lotte Tower and Seokchon Lake as of 4 p.m. Even at 7 p.m., after sunset, the number stood at about 94,000 to 96,000. That was more than 10% higher than usual.
It is assessed that crowds concentrated to see the Seokchon Lake cherry blossom festival. Based on average daily visitors last year, this festival ranked third nationwide among major spring events. In particular, thanks to the purple and white lights installed throughout the park, it has been counted as a "nighttime cherry blossom hotspot."
The problem arose as the area stayed crowded into the evening hours and the night lighting was not turned on. Songpa District, which hosted the Seokchon Lake cherry blossom festival, turned off both the purple and white lights on the 3rd and 4th for safety reasons, and did not turn on the purple lights on the 5th.
Songpa District explained it was a measure to disperse the crowds. A Songpa District official said, "We take measures according to the crowd density response level, and on the 3rd we fluctuated between alert and severe, so after an internal meeting we turned off the lights starting around 8:10 p.m."
Still, people who came to the site in time for the night lighting expressed frustration. Choi, a 23-year-old college student who visited Seokchon Lake on the 5th, said, "I walked for nearly an hour to make it for the night lighting, and I didn't expect they would turn off the lights without any notice," adding, "If I had known, I would have come earlier."
Lee, a 26-year-old office worker, also said, "There were only crowds, and all the lights were off," adding, "I don't think I'll come back to Seokchon Lake during the cherry blossom festival."
There were also criticisms that crowd and flow management were inadequate. Kwon, a 33-year-old office worker, said, "Turning off the lights doesn't seem to reduce the number of people," and added, "They should have prioritized limiting entries at the gates to reduce or disperse the crowd."
Song, a 21-year-old college student, said, "It was hard to walk properly as people pushed and tangled," adding, "Turning off the lights made it darker, which seemed to add to the confusion."
Songpa District said it deployed 200 professional safety personnel to guide crowds to move in one direction along key sections. It also said that on the 3rd, when crowds surged, it took measures such as closing the main entrances starting around 7:20 p.m.