The crowd crush was the deadliest disaster in South Korea since the sinking of MV Sewol in 2014 and the largest mass casualty incident in Seoul since the Sampoong Department Store collapse in 1995.

[21] An expert in mass movement and spatial arrangement and behavior at Sejong University later said to The Washington Post, "If you just surveyed the site and discussed possible countermeasures, anyone with instinct and experience would have been able to foresee the situation.

[44] Three off-duty United States Forces Korea soldiers, who managed to escape the crush by jumping onto a ledge, helped to pull people out of the crowd.

[30] Authorities did not immediately disclose what had caused the crush, but the chief of the Yongsan District Fire Department Choi Seong-bum said it was a "presumed stampede" and that many individuals fell.

Transcripts of the 11 calls made were released by the national police, noting that the Korean word which translates as "crushed to death" was used 13 times by callers.

He was being investigated on charges of abuse of authority, destruction of evidence and professional negligence for ordering the deletion of an internal intelligence report warning of the dangers of gathering crowds in Itaewon.

[111] On 5 December, two former intelligence officers, Park Sung-min of the Seoul Metropolitan Government and Kim Jin-ho of Yongsan Police, were arrested on suspicion of destroying evidence related to the crush.

[112] On 15 November, the firefighters' union sued the Interior Minister – who is responsible for public safety – in order to force the police to open an investigation on him.

[132] In early November, the South Korean state announced that it would use the term "accident" instead of "disaster" to avoid damaging Itaewon's reputation as a popular tourist destination.

[133][134] Regarding the young man who committed suicide weeks after the crush, the Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said of the victim, "Wouldn't it be better if he had been firmer and had a stronger desire to receive therapy?

[143] The report released on the first anniversary of the disaster shows that the manpower needed to control the crowd was not properly used to prevent a rally in front of the Yongsan presidential office targeting President Yoon Seok-yeol.

According to Park, Yoon allegedly said that he could not understand that so many had flocked to Itaewon, which only had a few South East Asian restaurants, and that it was suspicious that left-wing media such as MBC, KBS, and JTBC had aired broadcasts from 2, 3 days before the incident inducing people to go there.

[149] In response to Kim's claims, the Presidential Office has stated in an official statement on 27 June 2024 that "it is deplorable that a former National Assembly speaker would distort a private conversation with the president and reveal it to the public," adding that Yoon had ordered a complete investigation into every suspicion raised by the media on every occasion, that he had ordered the 911 emergency calls to be opened to the public and had recently accepted an independent counsel inquiry into the matter.

[146] A week of national mourning until 5 November was declared by President Yoon, who ordered flags at government buildings and public offices to fly at half-mast.

[156] Even after mid-December 2022, mourners around Itaewon subway station continued to pay tribute to the victims of the Halloween disaster by leaving flowers and expressions of condolence.

[157] On 1 November, Buddhist monks and Sangha members gathered in central Seoul among representatives of South Korea's seven major religious orders to commemorate the people.

[158] From November 9 to 11, the Jogye Order Social and Labor Affairs Committee conducted Buddhist rites at Itaewon Station Exit 1, and called for an investigation into the disaster.

"[161] France President Emmanuel Macron offered support to Seoul residents and South Korea, stating, "I express profound sorrow over the passing of the victims, extend my deepest condolences to their families and wish for a speedy recovery to all those who were injured.

"[161] United Kingdom Prime Minister Rishi Sunak described the news from Seoul as "horrific," stating, "All our thoughts are with those currently responding and all South Koreans at this very distressing time.

"[161][161] Other leaders, including those of Norway, Canada, Hungary, Malaysia, Philippines, Vietnam, India and the Vatican also expressed sympathies with the people of South Korea.

Germany's president Frank-Walter Steinmeier and his wife paid their respects and laid flowers at a memorial altar in front of Exit 1 at Itaewon Station.

[113] During the 2022 Christmas season, businesses around Itaewon subway station and the World Food Culture Street area suffered from the effects of the Halloween disaster.

[173][174] Lee Eun Hee, professor of consumer studies at Inha University said, "When a business district starts to die for any reason, it collapses non-stop.

"[175] Following the declaration of the week-long national mourning period, major broadcasting stations KBS, MBC, SBS, tvN, and JTBC suspended all of their music and entertainment programming beginning on 30 October, in favor of continuous news coverage.

[185][186][187] Social media and online sites in South Korea issued statements to users to refrain from spreading any video footage or other information about the disaster.

[191] An official statement by the Korean Neuropsychiatric Association specifically highlighted the "horrific videos and photos" of the disaster that were being shared without any filtration, which could cause damage to others.

[192] By 8 November the Korea Communications Standards Commission was reportedly sent over 100 requests to have video and pictures related to the disaster taken down from social media sites.

Additional concerns about the need to create disaster related ethics guidelines on digital content for social media sites and those that upload the footage.

[193] Koo Jeong-woo, professor of sociology at Sungkyunkwan University in Seoul, said, "For now, there are almost no guidelines on posting and sharing disaster footage on online platforms.

[198][199] According to Juliette Kayyem, a disaster management expert and international security professor at the Harvard Kennedy School, no specific triggering event needs to have happened to explain the Itaewon Halloween celebration tragedy.