[Herald Economy=Reporter Jung Ju-won] “My child was really looking forward to this, but they say we can’t go in today.”At about 9:30 a.m. on the 4th, a line had already formed at the entrance to “Pokémon Secret Forest” in Seoul Forest, Seongdong District. More than two hours before the exhibit opened, the queue stretched for hundreds of meters along the forest path. A tablet on site showed “860 people in line,” and the line continued to swell toward 900.When I joined the queue, we advanced only about 50 meters in 30 minutes. Despite it being a weekday morning, roughly 50 more people joined behind us during that span. The surge reflected a holiday-weekend effect ahead of Children’s Day.By around 11 a.m., an hour before admission was scheduled, staff posted a notice: “Admission is closed for today.” Organizers estimated the site could safely accommodate about 1,500 visitors and stopped registering more people. Many families were forced to turn back.
Kim Yoo-sung, 42, said, “My kindergartener loves Pokémon, so I took the day off and came early. Even arriving an hour ahead, I was shocked to see nearly 1,000 people waiting.”Choi Sung-woo, 45, from Songpa District, said, “We kept glancing around because we were worried they’d close the line while we waited. When I asked staff how long the wait would be, no one could tell me. I didn’t expect this kind of scramble.” He added, “I’ve even heard of people hiring others to wait in line — I can see why.”Park Jong-woo, 15, who traveled from Songdo with a friend, said, “We came to see Pokémon and to tour Seoul, but they’d already closed admissions when we arrived. It’s disappointing — it’s not easy to come back.”
“Even if you wait, you can’t get in” — confusion over first-come, first-served policy
The event is the centerpiece of Pokémon Korea’s “Pokémon Mega Festa.” It is part of the 2026 Seoul International Garden Show in and around Seoul Forest, where visitors follow trails to view Pokémon sculptures and photo zones.Crowd management proved problematic from the outset. On Labor Day (May 1st), an estimated 160,000 people flooded Seongsu’s café street and the Seoul Forest area, overwhelming the site and forcing organizers to suspend activities around 11 a.m. There were no serious injuries, but movement became difficult amid the crush.At Seoul Forest, organizers had been distributing so-called “Magikarp” cards — items prized among collectors. On secondhand marketplaces they have fetched several hundred thousand KRW (roughly several hundred USD), which likely drew additional visitors hoping to obtain one.Organizers have since halted distribution of the rare cards and introduced an online waiting system on May 2. On-site registration begins at 8 a.m.; registrants receive a text alert and must enter within 30 minutes of notification.
The city has set a daily cap of 1,800 visitors and is managing density at roughly 250 people per hour.A city official said, “We initially planned for 900–1,300 visitors a day, but we raised the limit to 1,800 after evaluating crowd density. We judged that about 250 people per hour is acceptable given the park’s internal space.” The official added that the city will expand communications across multiple channels after some visitors missed notices and showed up in vain.The official also explained they chose not to implement online advance reservations because of concerns about high no-show rates. Officials said they will continue to review and may adjust admission numbers based on on-site conditions.
Tighter crowd control and more staff — full effort for Children’s Day
Organizers reinforced on-site staffing and response systems after May 1. Seoul Forest now has 29 internal safety personnel and six external staff, with four additional external staff deployed. In total, the garden show is supported by 130 personnel (106 contracted workers and 24 city officials).A city official said, “If we assess that we can safely increase capacity, we’ll consider adding staff. The recurring problem is that crowds begin to gather well before opening, from around 9 a.m. We’ll operate the same schedule tomorrow but will make flexible adjustments to control internal density.”
Police also stepped up their response ahead of Children’s Day. On the 5th, authorities plan to focus on pre-emptive crowd control and will deploy mobile units. A Seoul Metropolitan Police official said, “On the 1st, people began gathering as early as 5:30 a.m. Tomorrow we’ll coordinate the Seoul Forest police unit, metropolitan prevention patrols, and mobile units to prevent dense crowding.”Following the Labor Day surge in Seongsu-dong, city, police, and fire authorities developed a safety plan focused on Seoul Forest’s interior. Although side streets in Seongsu-dong were overflowing, organizers did not submit a safety plan for areas outside the park to local authorities.A police official emphasized that the response cannot be a one-off. “We need to redesign a structural safety-management system in coordination with local governments,” the official said. “We will work with Seoul City, the Seongdong District Office, and the Ministry of the Interior and Safety to build a more robust safety net.”
