Several events held across Korea to commemorate second anniversary of Itaewon crowd crush

The bereaved families of the Itaewon crowd crush and the Sewol ferry sinking lay flowers at the National Assembly on October 29, the second anniversary of the Itaewon disaster. Reporter Kwon Do-hyun

Some 100 bereaved families of the Itaewon crowd crush wearing purple clothes gathered at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, on October 29. They were greeted by purple shawls and purple ribbons hanging on the trees on the grounds. On the second anniversary of the Itaewon tragedy, a memorial service for the victims was held at the National Assembly.

Photos of the victims were displayed on an altar on one wall of the meeting room where the memorial was held. Of the 159 victims, chrysanthemum flowers replaced the photos for those who cannot reveal their faces. Below the photos of the smiling victims, chrysanthemum flowers offered by survivors of the disaster, citizens, and politicians from the ruling and opposition parties were piled up. The bereaved families stared at the photos for a long time and burst into tears. Survivors of other disasters and catastrophes, such as the Sewol ferry sinking and Daegu subway disaster, also shed tears.

This is the first time the National Assembly has officially organized and hosted a memorial service for a social disaster. “When I arrived at the National Assembly and saw the purple shawls tied to the trees, I cringed at the thought of being respected as a bereaved family,” said Lee Jung-min, father of the victim Lee Joo-young and chairman of the Itaewon Crowd Crush Bereaved Family Council. ”If this had happened earlier, it would have thawed the frozen hearts of the bereaved families.” He also said, “Politicians from all parties should come together to wipe away the tears of the bereaved families and talk about finding truth and preventing recurrence, so that the people who have been disillusioned by repeated tragedies can have hope.”

Lee Joo-hyun, a surviving victim of the Itaewon disaster, said, "There are too many hidden victims. An active investigation to find them one by one should be conducted, not a passive investigation.” He added, “How dare we say that there is no 160th victim when rescuers and witnesses have not even been counted in the first place? We should make sure that no more victims come out from among the missing victims.”

Song Ki-chun, chairman of the Itaewon Crowd Crush Special Investigation Committee, promised to uncover the truth and provide support for victims. “(The committee) will also address the transfer of bodies, secondary victimization, and other issues that were not properly addressed during the investigation, and will fulfill its task while keeping in mind the difficulties of foreign victims' families,” Song said. ”The Itaewon Special Act is a product of political consensus, not politics, so the committee members will work hard to uncover the truth.”

Events to commemorate the two-year anniversary of the Itaewon tragedy continued across Seoul. Students of Seoul National University gave a memorial performance in the campus, distributing purple ribbons to people. Cho Sung-yoon, a college student, said, “We wanted to create more opportunities to make our memories and feelings of remembrance visible, so we decided to hold the memorial in the campus. The solidarity we create with our time and hearts will be more powerful than the hate we create with a few finger movements online.” A student at Seoul National University said, “One of the reasons why it was difficult to identify the victims after the tragedy was the secondary victimization online. We need to ask our society why the victims did not come forward quickly.”

From 6:34 p.m., when the first report was received on the day of the tragedy, the October 29 Itaewon Tragedy Writers' Group held an event reading a book, titled “The Tragedy Does Not Stay in the Alley,” which commemorates the second anniversary of the tragedy on the “Road of Memory and Safety” near Exit 1 of Itaewon Station. The Victims' Rights Committee of the October 29 Itaewon Tragedy Citizens' Task Force also held a memorial performance at Noksapyeong Station Crossroads Square in Yongsan, Seoul, at 7 p.m. and held an event where people read citizens’ memorial messages together.

※This article has undergone review by a professional translator after being translated by an AI translation tool.