“The children’s absence is still felt ... We will keep walking toward the truth to the end”: Citizens’ Memorial Gathering for the Fourth Anniversary of the Seoul Halloween Crowd Crush

[Financial News]  On the afternoon of the 24th, five days before the fourth anniversary of the October 29 Seoul Halloween crowd crush, a citizens’ memorial gathering honoring the victims was held at Seoul Plaza in Jung-gu, Seoul. The event, held under the theme “In the Light of the Stars, Toward the Truth,” was jointly organized by the October 29 Itaewon Disaster Bereaved Families Association, the Citizens’ Countermeasures Committee, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, and the Seoul Metropolitan Government.
An estimated 1,500 to as many as about 2,000 people attended the memorial gathering, including Prime Minister Han Seong-sook, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, leaders of ruling and opposition parties, bereaved family members, and members of the public. They wore purple butterfly pins and remained at the gathering. Also in attendance were 35 family members of 18 foreign victims from 10 countries who had traveled to Korea at the government’s official invitation, as they had the previous year.
Before the main event, bereaved family members and members of the public held a memorial prayer service involving four major religions on the Road of Memory and Safety in front of Exit 1 of Itaewon Station, the site of the disaster, and then marched to Seoul Plaza. The memorial message wall in the plaza was filled with messages of condolence from the public, including “We will remember” and “May you be happy there.”
The main event began with the names of all 160 victims being read out one by one, including a merchant identified only by the surname Baek, who suffered psychological distress after rescue efforts, died last April, and was recognized as the 160th official victim.
In opening remarks, Lee Jeong-min, chair of the Bereaved Families Association’s steering committee, vowed, “Over the course of four changing seasons, we have not become accustomed to the children’s absence for even a single day,” and “We will keep walking to the end so that the next generation of our society can live in a safer world.” Zahra Rezaei, the mother of an Iranian victim, said, “I do not want the Itaewon disaster to remain just a sad day on the calendar,” and called for solidarity in the pursuit of truth and justice.
In a memorial address, Prime Minister Han Seong-sook said, “The disaster is not over, and there is still work to be done to fully uncover the truth,” and conveyed deep apologies to the bereaved families. In a joint declaration, the Citizens’ Countermeasures Committee called for an investigation without exception by the Special Investigation Commission on the October 29 Itaewon Disaster, whose investigation period has been extended, and stressed the need to develop practical support measures for survivors and rescuers.
The gathering concluded with memorial performances by the Pyeonghwa-ui Namu Choir and singers Kim Sawol and Lee Han-cheol. At 10:29 a.m. on the 29th, the fourth anniversary of the disaster, the government’s official memorial event, the “Fourth Anniversary Memorial Ceremony,” is scheduled to be held at Gwanghwamun Square.


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