“How long has it been since the Itaewon tragedy?"—Knetz reacts as local fire department shuts down Boiler Room concert amid reported crowd congestion

On Sunday, July 28, 2024, the 'Boiler Room Seoul 2024' concert was reportedly shut down by the local fire department due to safety concerns. Koreaboo reported that due to an overflowing crowd, the South Korean Fire Department team in Seongsu-dong took drastic measures to safeguard the people in attendance.

Korea Joongang Daily reported that five people with respiratory problems were sent home after the emergency medic team arrived and assisted them, although there were no casualties.

Berlin-based Korean DJ Peggy Gou was scheduled to perform at the 'Boiler Room Seoul 2024' on Sunday. The music show was held at SFactory in Seongsu-dong. The show started on Saturday, July 27, at 9 PM and was supposed to last until 4 AM on July 28. Korea Joongang Daily reported that due to crowd congestion, the show was shut down around 1 AM, ahead of DJ Peggy Gou's performance.

Maeil Business News reported that Peggy Gou released a statement and addressed the abrupt shutdown of the Boiler Room concert. She wrote,

"Everyone, I'm so upset and heartbroken that the performance was canceled due to operational and safety problems of the performance organizer before I even played the music.[...]We are discussing the next performance as soon as possible, so please wait a little bit."

Netizens criticized the organizers and demanded reimbursement, alleging that the organizers oversold tickets despite the venue's limited capacity. They talked about the tragic ' 2022 Itaewon Tragedy,' where over 159 people lost their lives, and 196 people were severely injured due to the crowd crush.

One netizen wrote on the Korean online forum, TheQoo, and said,

“How long has it been since the Itaewon tragedy?"

Netizens reacted to the crowd crush. (Image taken from TheQoo)

Others criticized the Boiler Room concert organizers for allegedly selling over 6,000 tickets for a venue that could hold only 2,000 people at once.

"I am glad it was stopped in time and nobody got hurt... Now they need to have those people judged," a netizen wrote on X.

"Something is not right then, if it almost happened again..." another netizen on X said.

"Wasn't 2000 the maximum capacity with no space to spare? It might be okay outdoors, but indoors, even if there are just a few more people, it'll be very crowded. What on earth were they thinking when they sold the tickets like that?" one netizen commented on TheQoo. (comment 104)

Netizens also demanded that the 'Boiler Room Seoul 2024' concert organizers pay for damages along with refunds.

"It's fortunate that it was prevented in advance, but aren't there any regulations? How can they sell it like this?" another netizen on TheQoo added. (comment 131)

"The capacity is 2,000 but they sold 6,000 tickets??? This is crazy," one other netizen on TheQoo commented. (comment 140)

"You should be paying damages instead of refunds so they don't do things like this. Are you crazy?" another netizen on TheQoo added. (comment 148)

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What happened in the 2022 Itaewon Tragedy that worried netizens about the Boiler Room incident?

In October 2022, Seoul's nightlife hub, Itaewon, opened its streets for Halloween celebrations after being shut down due to COVID-19 lockdown protocols. BBC reported that over 100,000 people gathered in the area to celebrate Halloween.

However, as the crowd kept growing, people started panicking and tried to get out of the area which created chaos. Police struggled to control the crowd, and the chaos resulted in around 159 people dead and 196 people brutally injured. Additionally, K-pop idol and Produce 101 contestant Lee Ji-han passed away in the crowd crush.

South Korean government and the police department were globally criticized for their faulty guidelines and failing to save people. In February 2024, Yonhap News reported that families of the deceased protested and rallied in central Seoul to urge South Korean President Yoon Seok-Yul to investigate the Itaewon Tragedy case.

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In other news, the Boiler Room concert is scheduled to run until December 2024 worldwide, with stops in Sydney, Sao Paolo, Rio de Janeiro, and more.