Itaewon bakery stays open proudly to serve after tragedy

Itaewon is shuttered. Bars. Clubs. Restaurants. Shops. They are all closed until Nov. 5 for the period of national mourning.

Oh Eun-hee, the owner of a Tous les Jours shop in Itaewon, central Seoul, is opening the store for rescue workers nearby. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Itaewon is shuttered. Bars. Clubs. Restaurants. Shops. They are all closed until Nov. 5 for the period of national mourning.

Almost all of them.

About a five minute walk from the site where more than 150 people died on Saturday in a deadly crush, a single, solitary Tous les Jours remains open. Sort of.

The bakery across from the Itaewon 119 Fire Emergency Center is serving emergency workers at the scene: firefighters and police.

And for them, the coffee is free.

Others are politely rejected.

“Sorry, we are closed,” Oh Eun-hee, the owner, says. “I understand stores closing to send condolences and grieve, but there is no spot for firefighters or the police to take a rest.”

“I opened the store so that they can use the internet and have a cup of coffee.”

On the day of the tragedy, Oh was at the store as usual. She vividly recalls the sound of people screaming.

This is why she decided to help the firefighters and the police who worked so hard to help save the lives at the scene.

“I saw them trying so hard to save as many people as possible with my two eyes, so I couldn’t just neglect them,” says Oh. “As a person who operates a store near Itaewon, I wanted to help in some way.

"I thought this was what I could do to send condolences in my own way.”

A notice on the store says, ″Free coffee for emergency workers.″ [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Firefighters and police officers who came to Oh’s store thanked her for opening the store for them.

“It’s quite embarrassing when I see them thanking me as I haven’t really done much for them,” Oh says.

The Itaewon tragedy claimed at least 156 lives on Saturday night, including 26 foreigners, according to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters, as of Friday morning.

BY HA SU-YOUNG [cho.jungwoo1@joongang.co.kr]