Moving on from pain: A woman walks past newly unveiled-lettering that reads October 29 Memorial Alley under Korean writing that translates as Alley of Memories and Safety, in memory of victims of the Oct 29, 2022 crowd crush that killed more than 150 people during Halloween celebrations, at the site of the tragedy in the popular Itaewon nightlife area in Seoul. — AFP
On a Saturday night in October, dozens of people were lined up outside the Waikiki Beach Pub in the narrow alley behind the Hamilton Hotel, in Itaewon, Seoul.
“We should have arrived before 8.30pm,” one said. “There are always lines around 8.30pm these days during the weekend. I heard that we need to wait more than 30 minutes to enter.”
It was not the only packed bar in Itaewon World Food Street, the centre of Itaewon nightlife. Most bars in the street were full of partygoers singing and chatting away, while bar staff promoted their establishments outside.
It is hard to imagine that just a few steps away, 159 were killed and at least 196 seriously injured in a crowd crush in 2022.
> A year on from tragedy
Despite the bustle nearby, the area around the entrance to the alleyway where the disaster happened was quiet. Sticky-note messages of condolence plastered a memorial wall, but no one was there to read the messages or add to them that day.
For survivors, the bereaved families of the victims and the rescuers, the events of last Halloween are not so easy to forget.
“They say memories fade as time goes by, but that’s not the case for me and my wife,” said Choi Joung-joo, whose daughter Yu-jin died in the disaster.
“Yu-jin was our only child. We miss her more every day. As time passes, our memories of Yu-jin are getting clearer, and I’m sure the other bereaved families feel the same way.”
The longing for his daughter turns to disappointment and anger, he said, noting that not much has changed since her death.
“Nothing has changed this year. No high-ranking official has taken responsibility nor sincerely apologised in person for what happened to the families,” said Choi.
“No one took the time to explain to us why the events unfolded the way they did. They only said simple apologies out of respect. It feels like they’re ostracising us.”
Bereaved families and victims of the tragedy have demanded a list of things, including sincere apologies, from the South Korean government since the fatal incident.
Two civic groups, the Itaewon Disaster Bereaved Families and the Itaewon Disaster Citizens’ Task Force, were formed as support groups for families and individuals affected by the incident.
They have since marched, organised rallies and held press conferences. They hope that the truth of the disaster will be revealed, apologies made and justice served for victims of the tragedy.
On Oct 18, the two groups held a press conference in front of the presidential office, less than 2km away from where the disaster happened, to invite President Yoon Suk-yeol to console the bereaved families during their memorial ceremony.
The ceremony will take place tomorrow, exactly a year after the tragedy. The civic groups also handed their invitations to party members of the National Assembly to join the ceremony.
“The President never apologised to us in person, nor did he urge for the truth to be revealed about the incident, but we would like to extend our invitation to the President to be there to console the bereaved families and victims during the ceremony,” said Kim Ho-kyung, mother of the late Kim Eui-hyun, during the Oct 18 press conference.
> Power of remembrance
The Seoul Metropolitan Government and the bereaved family members have been quarrelling for some time over a memorial to remember the tragedy and the victims affected by it.
After a makeshift memorial near Itaewon Station was removed in Dec 2022, the Seoul Metropolitan Government suggested moving it to the fourth basement floor of Noksapyeong Station, but the bereaved families declined.
Noksapyeong Station has a cavernous basement that is sometimes used as an exhibition space, but it is a stop away from Itaewon, and the families said the memorial would be hard to access and feel cramped underground.
Instead, the bereaved families erected a makeshift altar in front of Seoul City Hall without permission in February. They also argued that a memorial should be built at the site of the tragedy to honour the victims.
“It really felt like they were just trying to push us away from the public eye,” said Choi.
After the incident, Choi was invited to his daughter’s university, New York University Tisch School of the Arts, to attend its memorial ceremony in February.
The university permanently designated a classroom in the department building as a memorial to honour Yu-jin with a picture and essay she had submitted as an assignment.
Choi cited his daughter’s memorial at the university as an example of how he hopes other victims of the crowd surge would be honoured in South Korea.
“The bereaved families aim to build a memorial near Itaewon Station, but the kind of memorial we want to erect isn’t a dark space that reminds you of death,” said Choi. “We hope it’ll be a bright and safe area that breathes life.”
On Sept 25, Itaewon Disaster Bereaved Families, the Itaewon Disaster Citizens’ Task Force and the Itaewon Special Tourist Zone Organisation announced they would designate the alley at the centre of the accident as the “Road of Memory and Safety” by Oct 26.
Three bulletin boards will be installed along the alley, with an explanation of the incident, and pictures and short messages written to honour the victims.
“We know that just because we urge our society to remember the tragedy and the fallen victims, it doesn’t mean that our children will come back home,” said Choi.
“But our society will start to take shape for the better as we remember them in our hearts. To prevent similar incidents from happening again in the future, to create a safer place for the future generation to live in, we need to remember – and one way of doing that is creating a memorial or space to remember the victims.”
> Unsteady return to normal
Itaewon itself appears to be recovering from the tragedy.
Overall spending in the district has recovered to about 98.2% of what it was before the incident, according to a report in July from the Seoul Metropolitan Government and credit card company Shinhan Card.
But some areas are still run-down, including the entrance to the alley that was the centre of the crowd crush, where most casualties occurred.
The shock and sadness brought by the crowd crush have made many people uneasy about returning to the area. Some said that is the reason they walk faster when they pass by certain areas.
“I came here to celebrate my friend’s birthday and enjoy a girls’ night out, but I didn’t feel comfortable coming back to this area to party. I even felt guilty and sorry for the victims when I passed this alley looking at messages of mourning posted on walls,” said a university student surnamed Jung.
Some say they just want to enjoy Halloween.
“It is time to move on. There is nothing wrong with Itaewon itself. So, visiting and hanging out in the Itaewon area is OK this year. I have visited Itaewon on Halloween annually, wearing a costume, so now my friends and I are walking on eggshells as to whether we can throw a party in Itaewon,” said a hospital worker named Shin.
As an area known for its foreign restaurants and bars, Itaewon has long been the centre of Halloween festivities in South Korea.
Shin is not alone. Although fewer partygoers are expected to show up in the Itaewon area than before, local businesses still expect people to gather.
A professional costume make-up artist spoke on condition of anonymity, saying: “As a person who has provided Halloween make-up every year for hundreds of people for several years, I predict that most people in Halloween costumes will go to Gangnam or Hongdae instead this year. However, looking at the atmosphere and public opinion, Itaewon would still attract quite a lot of people.”
Hotels in the Itaewon area are nearly all booked up.
Most of the hotel rooms in the area are booked as at Oct 17, according to digital travel platform Agoda. This includes Hamilton Hotel, which is just steps away from where the tragedy occurred.
However, many rooms are still available in Yeouido, a central location but not a popular spot for Halloween.
Debate has swirled online about celebrating Halloween in Itaewon in 2023, regarding the appropriateness of doing so and the need to honour the victims.
In a post titled “Is it inappropriate to party at Itaewon during Halloween this year?” on the online community site Nate Pann, some comments read “I wouldn’t if I were you”, and “It’s only been a year. So many people died at once there, it seems extremely thoughtless to go”.
However, other comments differed, including “You shouldn’t criticise those who go because it’s their choice” and “What about the failing businesses near the Itaewon district? We should go to support them”.
“What was shown in the media is not everything,” said vintage shop owner Shin Ki-chil.
“Everyone seems to think that Itaewon is dangerous, or that you’re going to die if you come here. But that’s not it. I hope this stereotype disappears so more people will visit our neighbourhood.”
The bereaved father, Choi, agreed, saying it is not the Halloween festivities at Itaewon that are the problem. “You should celebrate Halloween at Itaewon this year if you want,” he said.
“All we ask is for you to stay safe and remember what happened last year to prevent something similar from happening again.” — The Korea Herald/ ANN
