| White flowers and notes of condolences are placed in memory of the victims of the crowd crush during Saturday's Halloween celebrations at Itaewon Station in Seoul, Monday. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul |
By Lee Hae-rin
Jessy Crawford, a 29-year-old Canadian office worker, was on her first trip to Korea and Asia. For her and her Korean friends alike, the tragic crowd crush that claimed 156 lives on Saturday night was the last thing they imagined would happen during Halloween weekend. With five days left in Korea on Tuesday night, she paid a visit to the memorial site at exit 1 of Itaewon Station, just a few meters from where the crowd surged, to pay her respects to those who lost their lives.
“I wanted to experience Halloween in Itaewon because I thought it was really cool. I've seen past videos of everyone all dressed up in the streets, celebrating. I love Halloween so I planned my trip to be here for Halloween,” she told The Korea Times.
She said she has been fascinated by Korean culture and studied the language for six months. She heard that Korea is a safe and English-accommodating travel destination for a female solo traveler like herself. She had been excited to explore the international neighborhood and celebrate among the crowds of Koreans and people of other nations. But ever since the heartbreaking incident, her perceptions of Itaewon “changed forever” as the place transformed into a “spot of sadness.”
She said she and her friends left Itaewon due to the crowds at around 10:30 p.m. and went to the Hongik University area, known as Hongdae, another festive neighborhood in western Seoul known for Halloween celebrations. She didn't learn of the tragedy until around 11 p.m. when she was bombarded with worried messages from her friends and family, leaving her in a state of shock.
Diana Rojas, a 36-year-old American English teacher living in Haebangchon, a residential area around the corner from Itaewon, was also excited to spend her first Halloween in Korea. She was previously unable to experience the international district to its fullest due to the restrictions amid heavy COVID-19 pandemic restrictions.
| In this file photo taken on May 12, 2020, bars and restaurants in Itaewon are closed due to an infection cluster of COVID-19 that occurred there. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk |
“I was sick this weekend actually, but I still went to the doctor, took medicine and took a nap. I did everything I could to be healthy for Saturday,” she said. Some of her friends suggested going to Hannam-dong, Hongdae or Apgujeong ― neighborhoods that also see large Halloween celebrations ― instead because Itaewon would probably be overcrowded, but she was determined to visit nearby Itaewon.
“So I said, 'OK, have fun. I'm going to Itaewon.' Because this is my neighborhood. I'm proud of Itaewon, I'm proud to live here. I wanted to celebrate here with Korean and international people. There's a lot of unity here, different than other neighborhoods. Many cultures unite. It's a good feeling being here,” she said.
She was running late as she hadn't been feeling well and didn't meet her friends until around 11 p.m., an hour later than originally planned. When she and her friends arrived, the area was in total chaos.
“We only heard rumors that people were being drugged, taking candies that had drugs, taking drinks that had drugs. So we just heard that people were passing out,” she recalled. “We had no idea what was really happening because they were blocking the street. Even though we were so close we couldn't really see what was happening.” Only when she saw the emergency notifications on her smartphone did she learn about the tragic event, leaving her in a deep state of shock.
Yongsan District's Itaewon is considered by many to be Seoul's cultural melting pot. From shopping and entertainment to international cuisine and dynamic nightlife, the district offers a wide range of attractions and has remained at the top of the list when it comes to the country's popular travel destinations.
Located just north of the Han River, the neighborhood was a gateway to the capital during the 1392-1910 Joseon Kingdom and much of the land was used as a garrison for Japanese and American militaries in the colonial and post-liberation periods. The long-standing foreign presence has contributed to the district's distinct culture.
Today, Itaewon 1-dong and 2-dong ― two administrative regions commonly known as Itaewon ― have a population of over 15,200, of which around 2,500 (16.4 percent) are foreign nationals. Several foreign embassies and consulates are located in this neighborhood as well. Nearby sits the nearly empty U.S. Army Garrison Yongsan, which has been vacated over the last several years as the U.S. military relocated south to Gyeonggi Province's Pyeongtaek, taking much of the longstanding foreign community with it.
Due to the uniquely foreign atmosphere of the area, it grew into a unique venue known for its comparatively open-minded atmosphere and as a place to experience different cultures where diversity is appreciated. In 1997, the Seoul Metropolitan Government appointed the district as a special tourism zone and the Itaewon Global Village Festival has since been held annually to celebrate multiculturalism.
The special nature of the region has been well-reflected in the country's pop culture, such as the 2011 song titled “Itaewon Freedom” by the Korean duo UV about the region's young and dynamic atmosphere full of love. More recently, the 2020 global hit K-drama “Itaewon Class” portrayed a group of young people starting a restaurant business in the area.
For many Seoul-based foreign residents like Rojas, Itaewon has been a “home away from home,” in her words. For young Koreans curious about exploring new cultures, it has become a popular place to mingle and have fun. The town has long been loved and visited by Koreans and foreigners alike, and Halloween festivities have been at the core of the regional identity and considered a signature event promoted actively by local business owners.
However, since the tragic event last Saturday night, the streets and alleys have been eerily silent. The three-way intersection around Itaewon Station has been filled with mourners of all ages, nationalities and religions, day and night.
| Monks of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism sit in a row at the memorial site at Itaewon Station while chanting a Buddhist prayer for the victims of the deadly crowd crush, Monday. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul |
In solemn silence, the mourners leave white flowers and pay their respects and condolences. Some kneel to the ground and give a silent prayer in front of victims' pictures. Handwritten letters in many languages have been placed there. As in Korean memorial ceremonies, some people pour a glass of soju for the victims, while students and children leave snacks and drinks.
When President Yoon Suk-yeol announced a national mourning period lasting until this Saturday, the Itaewon Special Tourism Zone Association, which is a regional union of tradespeople, decided to halt operations as a mark of respect to the victims.
After almost three years in the pandemic, the local merchants are in despair, worried whether the area can ever be considered a travel destination again.
| A temporary closure notice and message of condolence is posted on the window of a restaurant near the site of the deadly crowd crush in Itaewon, Monday. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul |
Many restaurant and shop owners refused to talk to The Korea Times. Few reluctantly accepted to give their side of the story with heavy hearts.
“For now, we local business owners are keeping a low profile and paying our condolences because it's a national mourning period. However, we are the ones who came forward before anyone else to rescue those at the site of the incident and who saved many lives, but we are wrongly blamed to have caused the tragedy,” a business owner who has lived for 57 years and ran his business for 17 years in the neighborhood told The Korea Times on condition of anonymity.
“Since I know the geography of the complicated alleys, I ran out to help people in the crowd. Some who came with me survived … As someone who witnessed the situation, I am traumatized. I still have a vivid image of 200 to 300 people crying, and screaming for help before me. I kept bringing them out, but couldn't help them all,” he said.
Another business owner, who also spoke on condition of anonymity and who has been on the Itaewon Global Village Festival preparation team for almost eight months, agreed with him. The merchants had high hopes that the festival held just weeks before could help restore Itaewon to its former glory and they did their utmost for safety in cooperation with the Yongsan District Office and local police. Over a million people ― upwards of sevenfold the reported crowd numbers from the Halloween weekend ― visited the event and no casualties were reported.
While the precise cause of Halloween's tragic event still remains unclear, the local media and public partly blame Itaewon's business owners for the tragedy, the two anonymous business owners said.
| Police officers talk to a business owner in the narrow, steep alley where Saturday's crowd crush took place, Monday. The man, who owns one of the shops along the alley, set up a small ceremonial table on a picnic mat to pay respects to the victims. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul |
One of the business owners said they have “worked with pride” there all their lives, aware that that they are “the face of Korea for foreign travelers.” However, many businesses have shut down during the pandemic and the few that remain are facing a similar fate, due to the fierce criticisms and concerns that people will never come back to the neighborhood again.
“We have to pay rent and wages to our workers, but we are at a dead end. We finally started to see a light at the end of the long black tunnel of coronavirus and then this happened,” one of them said. Both remained unsure whether they would be able to cope with another crisis and whether the area will ever return to its past status.
Several foreigners interviewed by The Korea Times said their love for the neighborhood is the same, while their perception of the place will never be the same again.
“I don't know (if I'll come back here to do everything I used to). Maybe I'll take a little break. It's complicated because I don't want Itaewon to suffer economically, but at the same time, how can I dance in the street when this just happened? How can I drink when this just happened?” Rojas said.
Crawford said the event made her feel slightly less safe in crowds. She may come back to Korea for another trip, but she is reluctant to visit Itaewon during the Halloween period.
“I feel like it could have been prevented if people were more careful … It made me feel a little more nervous about crowds, but I know this isn't common and this hasn't happened before,” she said.
April Lynn, a 32-year-old American voice actress who has lived for four years in Itaewon, hopes Itaewon will endure.
“I don't think it's changed my perception (about the safety of Itaewon or Korea) but it made me feel aware of how short life is and how an accident can happen at any time. For me, it's made me just want to grab on closer to the people that I love. “
“I think it'd be nice to do something in memorial … So that we don't have to remember this place so tragically. Something can be built in memory,“ Rojas said.
| White flowers, notes of condolences and pictures of the foreign nationals who lost their lives in the deadly crowd crush that occurred amid the Halloween celebrations in Itaewon last Saturday are placed at the memorial area set up near the disaster site, Thursday. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk |