Police will restrict vehicle access in popular parts of Seoul starting Friday ahead of next week's Halloween festivities.

The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said the restrictions will be in place during the Halloween special countermeasures period from Friday until November 2 for the Itaewon, Hongdae, Seongsu-dong and Myeongdong areas of the city, which are set to draw large crowds.

The police will cooperate with the Seoul city government to block off vehicles in three levels according to crowd density and impose immediate restrictions should there be a sudden spike in density.

The measures aim to prevent a recurrence of the disastrous Itaewon crowd crush that occurred during Halloween festivities in 2022, which killed 159 people and injured hundreds of others.

The Seoul agency said it will dispatch approximately 230 traffic officers a day around the Halloween weekend to minimize public inconvenience during periods of congestion.