What is it about?

The Itaewon Halloween crowd crush in 2022 was a tragic event that resulted in the loss of many lives. This study examines the disaster through a systems-based perspective using Charles Perrow’s Normal Accident Theory (NAT). The theory helps explain how complex and tightly connected systems, like crowded urban environments, can lead to catastrophic failures when multiple factors interact unexpectedly.

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Why is it important?

Our study uniquely applies Perrow’s Normal Accident Theory (NAT) to the 2022 Itaewon crowd crush, revealing how systemic vulnerabilities and cultural factors, such as deference to authority and collectivism, exacerbated the disaster. Timely amidst a global resurgence of large-scale events post-COVID-19, it addresses the urgent need for improved crowd management in urban settings. By integrating systemic and cultural perspectives, we challenge victim-blaming narratives and offer actionable strategies, like culturally sensitive crowd control and technology-enhanced response systems. This interdisciplinary approach can attract readers in disaster management, urban planning, and cultural studies, fostering safer global event practices.

Perspectives

Exploring Perrow’s Normal Accident Theory alongside cultural factors like deference to authority opened my eyes to the intricate interplay between human behavior and systemic failures in disasters. I found the process of refining the timeline (Table 2) particularly insightful, as it highlighted the preventable nature of such tragedies. I hope this article inspires readers to rethink crowd safety, sparking meaningful discussions among policymakers and communities to prevent future disasters.

I Chun Chen
University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce

Read the Original

This page is a summary of: Reframing the Itaewon crowd crush: a systems analysis using Perrow’s framework, Disaster Prevention and Management An International Journal, May 2025, Emerald,
DOI: 10.1108/dpm-01-2025-0030.
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