Spontaneous memorial to Itaewon victims may have a future

A volunteer cleans up a makeshift memorial space for the victims of the Itaewon crowd crush at Exit 1 of Itaewon Station in Yongsan District, central Seoul, on Nov. 13. [NEWS1]

As mourning continues at exit 1 of Itaewon Station for the Halloween crowd crush victims, the city of Seoul and its Yongsan District are wondering with what to do with things mourners left behind.

Mourners started visiting Itaewon Station after the tragedy that took 158 lives on the night of Oct. 29. It started when one person left a bundle of white chrysanthemums next to exit 1, very close to the narrow alley in which the tragedy took place. The number of bouquets grew to four at 3 p.m. on Oct. 30. Within five more hours, it increased to hundreds, filling one side of a railing at Exit 1. Letters left by mourners were attached to the walls of stairs in the station.

Mourning altars set up by the central government or local government offices for the Itaewon tragedy closed when the national mourning period ended. But the makeshift memorial at Itaewon Staton’s Exit 1 kept growing.

Volunteers are managing the memorial space. They thin out wilted flowers, cover them with plastic in rainy days, and light the candles that have been blown out by winds.

Now people are wondering what to do with this spontaneous memorial space.

The small, progressive Justice Party (JP) weighed in on Nov. 19, saying, “The increasing number of citizens' memorial records are left unattended on the street,” adding, “Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon should consult with the National Archives of Korea and the Seoul Metropolitan Archives to come up with measures [for their preservation.]”

From Nov. 9 to 11, the Jogye Order's Social and Labor Affairs Committee performed Buddhist rites at the site, urging a swift investigation of the Itaewon disaster and the establishment of a memorial space for victims and the bereaved families.

"We definitely need a space for bereaved families to comfort each other and discuss how to solve the problem,” a spokesperson for the committee said.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government said further consultations are needed on what to do with the space.

An official from the district office of Yongsan, which has jurisdiction over the Itaewon area, said, "We are still discussing the management of the memorial space near Exit 1 of Itaewon Station, while providing support."

The records of a memorial altar near Noksapyeong Station set up by Yongsan District Office on Oct. 31 will be transferred to the Seoul Metropolitan Archives.

At the time of the Sewol ferry disaster, each local government collected and archived yellow ribbons and memorial notes at memorial altars in their areas.

The Seoul city government collected and archived yellow ribbons and letters that citizens voluntarily put around Seoul Plaza and Cheonggyecheon Plaza in central Seoul.

Post-its left by visitors inside the metro stations during the Guui Station accident and the Gangnam Station murder were also collected and preserved by the Seoul Metropolitan Government.

BY CHOI SEO-IN, SEO JI-EUN [seo.jieun1@joongang.co.kr]