The police will dispatch hundreds of officers and a number of riot squads nationwide with some 500-thousand people expected to gather this weekend to celebrate Christmas.

The National Police Agency said on Friday that over 650 officers and eight riot squads will be deployed to 37 locations across the country, including Seoul's Myeongdong shopping district, Gangnam Station and Hongdae area for crowd and safety management.

On New Year's Eve and New Year's Day next weekend, the police expect one-point-24 million people to gather in nearly 270 locations in the country. The state agency is in consultation with municipal governments regarding ways to maintain order.

Prior safety inspections for public gatherings without an official organizer were conducted between the police and regional safety committees under local governments.

An official at the police agency said that repeated emergency calls made around the time of expected crowd gatherings will be thoroughly analyzed to swiftly prevent and respond to accidents.

Public awareness of crowd management was heightened following the deadly Itaewon crowd crush in late October that killed 158 people and injured even more during Halloween festivities.