Society News

Four years after Itaewon: flowers at Exit 1, and families still asking who is accountable

Mourners gathered in Seoul on Saturday, October 24, ahead of the fourth anniversary of the Itaewon crowd crush of October 29, 2022. Korea's The Herald Business described a flower offering and a moment of silence at Exit 1 of Itaewon Station, beneath the memorial board in the alley now called the “Road of Memory and Safety”, followed by an interfaith prayer service and a march to Seoul Plaza for a public memorial rally. It noted that 35 relatives of 18 foreign victims attended at the government's invitation, the second year in a row.

AsiaNews, the Italian Catholic news agency, looked at what remains unresolved. It said 159 people died that night and 162 victims are now officially recognised. A joint police and prosecutor team ended its work on September 30 without indicting Seoul's mayor, and charges against the former Yongsan district chief were dropped for lack of evidence. Convictions so far mostly involve police officials, and appeals are pending. Families want senior officials held to account and a permanent memorial; parliament has extended the special inquiry's mandate to September 2027.

“Four years have already passed.” — Lee Jeong-min, chair of the bereaved families' group, via AsiaNews

How each outlet framed it

• The Herald Business — the rituals of remembrance, and foreign families joining them.
• AsiaNews — the legal record four years on, and what families say is still missing.

Where the numbers differ: the death toll on the night was 159, but the official victim count has grown to 162 after later additions, including two firefighters.