Seven more stars shine at Itaewon memorial for foreign victims: Families say ‘It feels like they’re still alive’

Relatives of foreign victims of the Itaewon crowd crush on October 29, 2022, shed tears after hanging photos of their loved ones on the memorial wall at the “House of Stars” in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on October 26.

On the afternoon of October 26, at the “House of Stars,” a memorial and communication space in Jongno-gu, Seoul, a two-year-old boy named Rudfi from Sri Lanka played innocently with an artificial flower. He seemed unaware of the heavy emotions of the adults watching him. Their eyes soon turned to the wall behind him, where a photograph of Mohammad Zinat, a Sri Lankan national, was displayed. Zinat, Rudfi’s father, whom he never met, lost his life in Itaewon, Seoul, on October 29, 2022. At the time of the tragedy, Rudfi was still in his mother’s womb.

Three years after the Itaewon crowd crush, families who lost loved ones in the disaster traveled from faraway countries to Korea at the invitation of the Korean government.

A total of 46 bereaved family members from 12 countries, including Iran, Russia, the U.S., Australia, China, and Japan, visited the disaster site in Itaewon’s “Path of Remembrance and Safety” on October 25 to lay flowers. The next day, they visited the House of Stars, where photographs of seven foreign victims, whose names and faces had not been publicly revealed before, were newly displayed ahead of the third anniversary.

Guided by members of the 10·29 Itaewon Disaster Citizens’ Committee, the families paused before the photographs of the victims and wept quietly. The family of Afagh Rastmanesh, an Iranian victim, gently stroked her picture, kissed it, and whispered her name. In the face of grief, there were no national boundaries. The foreign families embraced and cried together with Korean bereaved families, sharing the same sorrow.

The newly displayed victims included people from Sri Lanka, Russia, Japan, China, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan, who had come to Korea for study, travel, or work before their lives were cut short. Damira, sister of Madina Serniyazova from Kazakhstan, said tearfully, “It’s so beautiful to see all these stars shining. It feels like Madina is still here, living, studying, and meeting friends.”

Korean bereaved families presented the foreign visitors with purple lisianthus flowers, whose meaning is “unchanging love.” Song Hye-jin, an executive member of the 10·29 Itaewon Disaster Bereaved Families’ Association, said, “Thinking about how you’ve endured these three years alone in your own countries as grieving families fills my heart with pain. I hope we can continue to communicate and stand together for a better tomorrow.”

Manaz, the aunt of Ali Farakand from Iran, said, “We’ve seen Korean families shaving their heads and protesting through cold winters and scorching summers. We are deeply grateful for their courage.” A relative of Stine Evensen from Norway added, “We thank the Korean families for fighting so hard in the name of justice.”

The foreign families also attended a citizens’ memorial service held at Seoul Plaza on October 25 to mark the third anniversary of the tragedy. A family member of Grace Rashed, an Australian victim, said, “As the 10·29 Itaewon Disaster Special Investigation Committee seeks to uncover the truth, we hope the full truth will emerge free from bias or external pressure. We know our children lost their lives because government, legal, and administrative officials failed to fulfill their duties. Those failures must be fully revealed and made known to the public.”

※This article was translated by an AI tool and edited by a professional translator.