Itaewon victims' relatives say attention must be paid

Social Affairs

Published: 22 Nov. 2022, 18:53

Itaewon victims' relatives say attention must be paid

A relative who lost a loved one in the Itaewon tragedy loses balance on Tuesday while urging the government to offer a sincere apology to the victims and investigate criminal liability in a joint press conference in southern Seoul. [YONHAP]

She lost her son in the Itaewon tragedy. That’s all she knows so far – 25 days later.

“Shouldn’t I know what caused his death? Whether he received CPR? When he died?” the mother asked Tuesday at a press conference in Seoul.

Like many families who lost loved ones in the Itaewon crowd crush late last month, this mother, who chose not to reveal her name to the local press, says she has been deprived of crucial details about her son’s last moments, making it hard to say goodbye.

The mother was among some 20 people who gathered in front of cameras in the offices of the Lawyers for a Democratic Society, an association of progressive lawyers also known as Minbyun, in Seocho District, southern Seoul. Most had lost a son, daughter, sister or brother in the lane next to the Hamilton Hotel in Itaewon in which 158 people died while celebrating Halloween on the night of Oct. 29.

Most victims were under 30.

Tuesday’s press conference was the first time for surviving relatives to confront the press as a group, demanding attention be paid to their loss. Together they urged the government to offer a sincere apology to the victims for failing to take safety precautions and press charges against anyone responsible for the deaths.

Participants in the press conference took turns introducing themselves as parents or siblings - some revealing their names, others not - and sharing anecdotes about their deceased loved ones. One of the relatives passed out midway, causing the event to pause.

A father said a text message was sent to his daughter’s cellphone after she died. It congratulated her on landing a job at a company where she interviewed.

“She died at the ripe age of 26,” he said, fighting back tears. “She withered before getting the chance to blossom.”

Another father said he was frustrated the government didn’t gather the surviving families in a group, allowing them to comfort each other after the crowd crush. “Seventeen days after the incident, I was finally able to meet some relatives by asking around,” he said.

While some people criticized a local media outlet for publishing the names of the victims without the relatives’ consent, some said the government should’ve asked for permission to reveal the names when it set up a joint memorial for the victims rather than lumping them all together as “the deceased in the Itaewon tragedy.”

BY CHOI SEO-IN, LEE SUNG-EUN [lee.sungeun@joongang.co.kr]