Seoul (AsiaNews) – South Korea’s city presents itself to the world as a capital of pop culture, capable of shaping the tastes and aspirations of new generations. Yet, it is also the site of one of the worst tragedies involving young people in Asia in recent years, a defining event that even those travelling to Seoul for World Youth Day have a duty to remember.
A few days from now will be the fourth anniversary of the dark night that fell upon Itaewon, the night of 29 October 2022, when 159 people died in a crush. Thousands of young people, out to celebrate Halloween, became trapped in an alleyway when the authorities failed to manage the crowd.
South Korea is set to mark the anniversary of a tragedy that exposed the flip side of its glamorous image – the very young people who had gathered for a night of celebration found themselves left entirely without protection.
For the victims' families and the survivors, this remains an open wound. They continue to insist that the case not be closed without a full probe into what happened. Their demand for truth and justice also raises broader questions about what young people truly represent in South Korean society today.
Legal proceedings
On 30 September, a joint investigative team of police and prosecutors, set up in July 2025 to shed light on the tragedy, concluded its work.
One of its most controversial decisions was not to indict Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon for failing to implement the measures necessary to prevent the disaster.
Investigators also dropped charges against Park Hee-young, the former mayor of the Yongsan district, where Itaewon is located, despite suspicions that he destroyed evidence after replacing her phone shortly following the tragedy. In both instances, investigators determined that there was insufficient evidence to proceed.
At the same time, however, cases requiring further investigation have been referred to the police, who, as of 1 October, have assembled a 12-member special task force.
The matter is not yet closed; on 3 September, the South Korean Parliament passed legislation extending the mandate of the special commission, tasked with identifying the causes of the tragedy and determining responsibility, until 16 September 2027.
In a report published last July, the commission had already indicated that more timely rescue efforts could have saved additional lives; this followed a forensic analysis which revealed that, for 15 of the victims, it was not possible to definitively attribute their deaths to asphyxia.
The convictions handed down thus far primarily concern police officials accused of failing to prevent the crush by ignoring warnings they had received.
In September 2024, the Seoul Western District Court sentenced Lee Im-jae, the former head of the Yongsan Police Station, to three years in prison for professional negligence resulting in death.
According to the court, the size of the crowd was foreseeable, and adequate preparation could have prevented the tragedy or mitigated its consequences.
Song Byeong-ju, the former head of the operations centre at the same station, received a two-year prison sentence, while another police official, Park In-hyeok, was given a one-year suspended sentence with a two-year probation period.
A separate line of legal proceedings is underway concerning the deletion of documents that had flagged in advance the risks associated with overcrowding.
Among the officials involved is Park Seong-min, the former intelligence chief for the Seoul Metropolitan Police, who was sentenced in July 2025 to six months in prison for his role in the affair.
Other legal proceedings concern the drafting of reports containing false information regarding the response operations carried out on the night of the tragedy.
Overall, while the rulings have established responsibility at an operational level, they have failed to address the issue of political accountability or the responsibility of high-ranking government officials.
The convictions handed down thus far have been challenged, and the outcomes of the appeals are currently pending.
Furthermore, in August, four families filed a complaint against the chair of the special commission, Song Doo-hwan, and its secretary-general, Park Jin, accusing them of abuse of office for denying access to surveillance camera footage from the night of the disaster.
The commission justified the refusal by citing the protection of personal data and technical limitations; however, the victims' relatives argue that the failure to provide this material hinders their right to uncover the truth.
A separate complaint has been filed against the mayor of Yongsan, Kim Kyung-dae, regarding the denial of access to additional recordings.
Commemorations and enhanced security measures
On 17 October, approximately one hundred people marched through downtown Seoul, calling for a thorough and complete investigation. During the rally, purple ribbons were distributed in memory of those who died, alongside posters promoting the anniversary commemorations.
“[F]our years have already passed, while yet we kept telling ourselves, ‘Surely the truth will come this year’,” said Lee Jeong-min, chairwoman of the Bereaved Families Association.
Commemorations continued on 24 October, when about 1,500 people gathered at Seoul Plaza, in front of City Hall.
The official fourth-anniversary commemoration is set for 29 October at Gwanghwamun Square, with the participation of representatives from the government, parliament, and the families' associations.
On 22 October, South Korea’s Ministry of the Interior and Safety launched a new website dedicated to families and survivors, as well as providing information on commemorative initiatives.
The portal contains details on available forms of assistance, the procedures for accessing them, and upcoming events. To ensure that foreign relatives of the victims can also access this information, the service is available in English, Chinese, Japanese, Russian, and Persian.
In anticipation of this year’s Halloween celebrations, the Municipality of Seoul has announced enhanced security measures, with 4,594 officers deployed in popular nightlife districts, including Itaewon, Hongdae, and Seongsu.
In Yongsan, where Itaewon is located, about 2,550 security personnel will be on duty, while surveillance cameras and real-time monitoring systems will be used to identify and address overcrowding.
The night of the tragedy
On the evening of 29 October 2022, tens of thousands of people flocked to Itaewon, a district in the capital famous for its nightlife, to celebrate Halloween.
Without any oversight from the authorities, the crowd became packed into a sloping alleyway only 3.2 metres wide, resulting in a deadly crush.
As people began to fall, they were crushed against one another. The 159 individuals who died that evening were mostly young adults, including foreign nationals.
The first reports to law enforcement had arrived as early as late afternoon. At 6:34 pm, about four hours before the crush, someone warned the police that the crowd in the alley posed a risk of deaths and injuries.
Throughout the evening, further calls followed, some requesting urgent intervention to control access to the area.
According to data released by the police at the time, four of the eleven reports led to officers being dispatched to the scene; however, no measures sufficient to manage the pressure of the crowd were implemented.
Eventually, the human toll rose. In June, authorities included Baek Hyung-jun among the victims, a local business owner who had assisted in the rescue efforts and passed away in April, after suffering the traumatic aftermath of the experience.
In August, a special commission also recognised two firefighters who had responded that night as victims; both died after suffering severe psychological trauma linked to their involvement in the rescue operations.
Consequently, the total number of officially recognised victims now stands at 162, while the number of people who died directly in the crush remains 159.
The location of the memorial
The memorial itself has also become a point of contention between the families and city authorities.
In February 2023, to mark 100 days since the tragedy, the families set up a commemorative altar in Seoul’s City Hall Plaza, after authorities rejected their request to place it in the nearby Gwanghwamun Square.
The municipality objected to the occupation of public space and demanded that the installation be removed.
After remaining in City Hall Plaza for sixteen months, the altar was moved in June 2024 to a nearby building, the Burim Building, following an agreement between the city and the families' organisations.
In November of the same year, the commemorative space, known as the House of Stars, was relocated to the Jeokseon Hyundai Building in the Jongno district, where it remains today. However, the families note that the altar’s current location is subject to temporary agreements.
The dispute has since moved to the courts. On 14 January, the Seoul Administrative Court rejected an appeal filed by the families against compensation payments demanded by the municipal government for the occupation of City Hall Plaza.
The city had imposed an initial charge of 28.99 million won for the period between February and April 2023, a sum the families have already paid, followed by a second charge of 187.73 million won for the subsequent period of occupation, lasting until June 2024.
The families, however, argue that it should have been the municipal government’s responsibility to provide a space for commemoration.
Presently, the families are holding public commemorations, marches, and ceremonies, including the reading of the names of those who died, at the site of the altar. They continue to call for permanent recognition of the site of the tragedy and for the victims to be permanently remembered.
THIS ARTICLE IS PART OF ROAD TO SEOUL, ASIANEWS’ WEEKLY COLUMN LEADING UP TO WYD 2027. READ HERE ALL THE ARTICLES PUBLISHED IN THIS SECTION.
