Marking one year since the Itaewon crowd crush tragedy

In anticipation of the 1st anniversary of the Itaewon Halloween crowd crush, the former crash site was adorned with hundreds of heartfelt messages, such as "I love you and miss you. Always thinking of you." Post-it notes on Friday, bearing messages in Korean, English, Japanese, Chinese, and more, expressed love and remembrance, wishing peace for the deceased. Due to the solemn occasion, Itaewon saw only a few Halloween revelers, rendering the site quiet and empty.

Local stores also honored the disaster. Halloween decorations, which usually adorned the streets, were notably absent this year. Many stores remained closed as a mark of respect. A restaurant owner named Choi (age 40), near the incident site, mentioned that local merchants agreed to close their shops at 11 p.m. this year, unlike their usual practice of staying open overnight, and refrained from Halloween decorations.

The Seoul city government, local police, and fire stations are mobilizing their resources to handle potential incidents in the area. They focused on 16 downtown areas, including Hongdae, Gangnam, and the vicinity of Konkuk University station, as young people may have chosen to party at these locations instead of Itaewon.


chaewani@donga.com