SEOUL, Nov. 23 (UPI) -- In the wake of last month's Halloween crowd crush that left 158 dead, South Korean police said Wednesday that they would dispatch 600 officers to a mass World Cup cheering event in Seoul.

The National Police Agency said that it would deploy eight squads of riot police and around 40 additional officers to Gwanghwamun Square in downtown Seoul on Thursday as the South Korean national men's soccer team plays their first match of the World Cup in Qatar.

"During the street cheering that is expected to take place on Korea's game day, riot police and special forces will be deployed to maintain order at the venue and preform crowd management," the agency said in a statement.

Police said they expect around 15,000 people to gather in the public square for the match.

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