Oct 29 marks the first anniversary of a devastating tragedy in Seoul’s clubbing district that took the lives of 159 people who were there to celebrate Halloween. The Straits Times finds out how the victims’ parents, survivors, and businesses are coping.
Sunday will mark the 100-day anniversary of the Itaewon tragedy of last Halloween. The bereaved families remain agonized, not only from the lack of proper investigation but also by far-right protesters surrounding their mourning site. At the western end of Itaewon-ro, about 400 meters from the site of the tragic crowd crush that took at least 159 lives on Oct. 29, 2022, is a temporary memorial space set up by the Association of Families of Itaewon Disaster Victims and civic groups on Dec. 14.
Seoul Metropolitan Government did not grant use of Gwanghwamun Square to a group of bereaved families for a mourning event marking the 100-day Itaewon tragedy scheduled this Saturday, citing that the public space had been already granted use for another event.