South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol on Tuesday called for safety measures to prevent crowd accidents, saying the Halloween crush that killed more than 150 people in the capital shows the importance of crowd management, his office said.

Yoon made the remarks as he presided over a cabinet meeting as the death toll from the disaster climbed to 156. 

According to the latest reports, the deadly stampede has also left 151 others injured, 29 of whom are in serious condition.

"We should come up with concrete safety measures to manage crowds, not only on these streets where this massive disaster took place but at other places like stadiums and concert venues where large crowds gather," Yoon said.

The stampede on October 29 is believed to have been caused by huge crowds surging into a narrow downhill alley and toppling over one another in the popular nightlife district in Seoul.

At a press briefing on Tuesday, South Korea's police chief Yoon Hee-keun said multiple hotline calls were received that night warning of a potential accident and conceded that crowd control was "inadequate" in the area.

He said he felt heavy responsibility for the incident.

On Tuesday, South Korea's Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said the absence of "institutional support" measures for crowd management was one of the causes behind the deadly crush.

He said the ongoing investigation into the disaster will also cover whether relevant institutions' on-site responses were adequate.

(With input from Reuters)