Grief suffocates businesses in Itaewon 3 months after tragedy

The once bustling alleys of Itaewon in central Seoul were deserted on a recent Saturday night. Staffers of pubs and restaurants stood out in the cold encouraging the occasional passerby to come in.

An alley in Itaewon in Yongsan District, central Seoul, near where the deadly crowd crush occurred is empty on the night of Jan. 14. [CHO JUNG-WOO]

The once bustling alleys of Itaewon in central Seoul were deserted on a recent Saturday night. Staffers of pubs and restaurants stood out in the cold encouraging the occasional passerby to come in.

It’s been almost three months since the crowd crush on Oct. 29 took the lives of 158 people, and that of a teen survivor who committed suicide shortly after.

People clearly don't feel comfortable going back to the area to party, and the pain is only deepening for business owners in Itaewon.

Reminders of the tragedy remain in the short alley where the deaths occurred.

Messages of mourning to the victims are posted on one wall of the alley adjacent to the Hamilton Hotel.

A policeman walks up and down the narrow alley, as if there might be some kind of trouble ahead.

More messages of mourning are on a wall leading to Itaewon Station’s Exit. 1.

Notes mourning the victims of the Itaewon tragedy are posted on a wall next to the Hamilton Hotel. [CHO JUNG-WOO]

In the so-called Three Alleys area where the tragedy took place, posters offer discount promotions to revive business in the area.

A poster headlined “I love Itaewon” advertises 30 percent discounts at some restaurants, pubs and cafe, which are sponsored by the Itaewon Special Tourist Zone Organization.

But the customers have yet to come.

“We sold less than 50 percent of what we did in the past week despite having this promotion yesterday,” said Byeon Jong-kook, a Korean restaurant owner in Itaewon.

Byeon has been running the restaurant for ten years.

“If this continues, I feel like nobody will be able to survive.”

According to Byeon, business is worse than during the Covid-19 pandemic.

“When the pandemic arrived, every place in the country was affected,” he said.

“But now, people who came to Itaewon on weekends are hanging out in places like Apgujeong in southern Seoul.”

In the second week of last November, right after the tragedy, the number of people who went to Itaewon dropped to around 70 percent of the week before the tragedy. Revenues in the area plunged over 60 percent during the same period, according to the Seoul Metropolitan Government.

“I heard sales of restaurants in December dropped to 10 percent of what they were in the same month the previous year,” Byeon said.

“They dropped by almost 40 percent for businesses across the road," or further away from the scene of the tragedy.

“I believe anyone who just opened a business during the pandemic or right before Halloween will be going through a harder time.”

Kim Jeong-shin, who owns a pub just a few meters from the crowd crush alley, opened his business last summer.

“We were doing well, especially on weekends,” Kim said.

On the night Kim talked to this reporter, not a single customer was in the pub.

Kim had to let his part-time staff go.

“The promotion to revive the area began yesterday, but I had to close earlier than usual because there were no customers,” Kim said, pointing to the “I love Itaewon” poster pasted on the entrance of his pub.

According to Kim, businesses in Itaewon were not able to promote the discounts as much as they wanted in case it was considered disrespectful by the public.

“We waited until the 49th day memorial rite to finish, expecting some kind of change would happen,” Kim said.

Buddhists observe a mourning period of 49 days, the time in which they believe it takes for the dead to be reborn.

A note of mourning for the Itaewon tragedy is posted on a wall next to the Hamilton Hotel on Jan. 14. [CHO JUNG-WOO]

Kim and Byeon say it may take some time, but Itaewon can bounce back if it's not perceived as a place of tragedy and mourning.

“There is a need to change the entire vibe of the area,” Byeon said.

An empty alley in Itaewon on Jan. 14 [CHO JUNG-WOO]

Some business owners along Itaewon-ro 27-ga-gil, also known the International Food Street, were seen standing outside on Saturday night, beckoning passersby in.

The street was filled with loud club music — but nobody partying.

An owner of a pub a block away from the tragedy alley shouted, “Free tequila today!”

But the pub was empty with only a DJ playing music.

To revive businesses in the area, Lee Young, the minister of SMEs and Startups, visited Itaewon last week to talk to the merchants.

“Total sales of businesses in the Itaewon region has dropped to lower than half of the usual,” said Lee on Jan. 12.

“It is a national loss that an international area like Itaewon is facing a collapse in its business.”

After the meeting, the Ministry of SMEs and Startups announced Monday the establishment of a support center to improve communication between business owners in Itaewon and governmental institutions.

The ministry previously allowed Itaewon businesses to borrow as much as 70 million won to keep going.

The Yongsan District Office announced last week the sale of 10 billion won worth of coupons that can only be used in Itaewon. The coupons are sold at a 10 percent discount, and can be used at around 2,600 businesses in Itaewon.

Discounts may not be enough.

“People will not be willing to visit Itaewon and hang out as long as there are still some scenes reminding them of the tragic crowd crush,” said Lee Eun-hee, a consumer science professor at Inha University.

“I personally believe there will be a way to commemorate those who died in the incident in a sincerer and warmer way, such as by building a memorial park.”

“Some creative efforts by the district office are needed to revive businesses and to encourage people to visit Itaewon and its neighborhood for happy purposes.”

People pass by the joint memorial altar of crowd crush victims, set up by a civic group formed by the bereaved family and located at Noksapyeong Station, on Jan. 3. [NEWS1]

A joint memorial altar for the crowd crush victims, set up by a civic group formed by the bereaved family, is located at Noksapyeong Station, around 12 minutes away from the alley where the tragedy occurred.

Dozens of police stand in front of the memorial altar, while members of the civic group stand next to them in the cold.

Facing photos of the victims, members of the group hold up picket signs reading, “We ask for the truth behind the Itaewon crowd crush.”

Last Friday, the Korean National Police Agency wrapped up its months-long investigation of the tragedy and gave the results to prosecutors.

A total of 23 people said to bear responsibility for the tragedy have been recommended for prosecution.

BY CHO JUNG-WOO [cho.jungwoo1@joongang.co.kr]