Opposition ups pressure on government, president

The main opposition on Wednesday stepped up pressure on the government over the Itaewon tragedy, accusing concerned organizations of attempting to cover up details of the incident. “Downplaying, covering up, manipulating the situation in an attempt to reduce accountability cannot be forgiven,” Democratic Party of Korea Chairman Rep. Lee Jae-myung said at the party’s supreme council meeting Wednesday. “High-level government officials’ attitudes are in no way taking

Nov. 2, 2022

Police face full force of fury over Itaewon response

The police are speeding up their investigation into the authorities’ part in the Itaewon disaster, while criticisms of its response to the incident rises. Following the release of 11 phone transcripts to the police, which were made hours before the incident took place on Saturday, the police have faced increasing criticism from the public and political circles, as well as pressure from the government. Yongsan Police Station Chief Lee Im-jae has been put on a standby order, the first figu

Nov. 2, 2022

Why people are drawn to graphic images

Graphic images of the Itaewon disaster still inundate some media outlets, despite repeated calls to refrain from uploading and watching such content. Experts say guilt, curiosity and attention-seeking could be the drive for this continued behavior. Psychiatrist Dr. Lee Hae-kook of Catholic University St. Mary’s Hospital in Uijeongbu, Gyeonggi Province, explained that people can repeatedly consume graphic scenes of social disaster out of guilt. “Compulsive guilt and sorrow -- that we

Nov. 2, 2022

'Sorry, we could not protect you': Older Koreans express guilt for disaster

“I came here to pray. We are very sorry to the young people,” Lee Jeong-ja, 78, said, wiping away tears with a handkerchief at the joint memorial altar at Exit 1 of Itaewon Station on Wednesday afternoon. “Young people should come here, not the old people like us. I am sorry,” she said, who has a young granddaughter of similar age of the people who died in Itaewon disaster. Another man surnamed Jeon, 59, who also visited the altar, said, “My heart aches. I am so

Nov. 2, 2022

11 calls said ‘people are being crushed’ at Itaewon; 4 dispatches made

  On the night of the Itaewon disaster on Saturday, 11 emergency calls were made to police that directly mentioned that people were being hurt or crushed, but the police were only dispatched to the scene a total of four times, police records show. While the police revealed the transcripts of those 11 calls, it was found later that a total of 79 emergency calls were made from the Itaewon area from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. The exact content of those calls has not yet been identified. Of the 11 emerg

Nov. 2, 2022

‘We’ll be crushed to death here. It’s a disaster’

The tragedy that left at least 156 people dead in central Seoul occurred when thousands of Halloween revelers jammed into a narrow alley fell over in masses, piling up on top of each other around 10:15 p.m. on Saturday. On that fateful night, a total of 11 emergency calls had been made to local police warning explicitly of deadly crowding in Itaewon, police records show. The following are translated excerpts from the desperate calls made to the police as early as nearly four hours before the dis

Nov. 2, 2022

With flowers and food, citizens share warmth while mourning

Mourners form a long line near Itaewon Station Exit 1, just a few meters from where over 150 people died on a horrific Halloween night out on Saturday. One by one they get a white chrysanthemum from a makeshift table, which they lay down at a memorial altar for the victims set up nearby. The flowers have been brought by Kim Seo-joon, a 31-year-old man who runs a flower shop in Gangnam-gu, southern Seoul. He brought more than 300 white chrysanthemums to Itaewon on Wednesday morning to give aw

Nov. 2, 2022

PM apologizes for ‘inappropriate joke’ related to Itaewon tragedy

Prime Minister Han Duk-soo on Wednesday issued an apology for a joke he made during the previous day’s press conference related to the Itaewon tragedy. “No matter what the circumstances are, I apologize for making the people uncomfortable,” he said in a message that he relayed to reporters through the Prime Minister’s Office. During Tuesday’s foreign media briefing, Han became the subject of controversy for what was perceived by some as “light-hearted behavior

Nov. 2, 2022

S. Korea's new COVID-19 cases above 50,000 for 2nd day amid 'twindemic' worries

South Korea's new coronavirus cases stayed above 50,000 for the second straight day Wednesday amid concerns over a possible outbreak of a "twindemic" of the pandemic and seasonal influenza this winter. The country reported 54,766 new COVID-19 infections, including 78 from overseas, bringing the total to 25,670,407, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said. The daily caseload rebounded to 58,379 on Tuesday after falling below 20,000 on Monday. Daily infections stayed be

Nov. 2, 2022

Seoul mayor apologizes over Itaewon disaster

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon apologized Tuesday over the Halloween crowd crush that killed at least 156 people. "As the mayor of Seoul who is responsible for the lives and safety of citizens, I feel infinite responsibility for the accident and express my deepest apologies," Oh said in a tearful voice during a news conference at his office. "The Seoul city government will do its best to mobilize all its administrative power until all funeral procedures are completed and the bereaved fami

Nov. 1, 2022

Prime Minister urges improvement of crowd management after deadly Halloween crush

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo on Tuesday voiced the need to improve the government's measures for crowd management after the deadly Halloween crush that killed at least 156 people. "Voluntary events without organizers are clearly seen as something that needs to be improved in institutional measures," Han told foreign journalists as he briefed them about the government's handling of the disaster. Han also pointed out institutional measures for crowd management were insufficient

Nov. 1, 2022

Police chief apologizes over deadly crush amid criticism of police response

National police chief Yoon Hee-keun apologized Tuesday over the weekend Halloween crowd crush, saying he feels "heavy responsibility" and vowing to look thoroughly into what went wrong with the police response. Yoon, commissioner general of the National Police Agency, made the remark amid criticism of the police response to the Halloween crowd surge that has left at least 156 people, mostly in their 20s, killed and 30 others seriously injured in South Korea's deadliest disaster in

Nov. 1, 2022

For foreign victims, an abrupt, tragic end to much-anticipated trip to Korea

Among the victims from last weekend’s Halloween disaster in Itaewon are foreign exchange students, tourists and overseas fans of Korean culture on a much-anticipated trip here after the pandemic. Major media outlets around the world have shared the stories of those who perished in Seoul when Halloween celebrations turned deadly. Anne Gieske had just turned 20 Saturday was one day after Anne Gieske’s 20th birthday. A nursing student at the University of Kentucky, she was in Ko

Nov. 1, 2022

Fact-checking some of the claims about Itaewon disaster

In the aftermath of the deadly Itaewon crowd crush on Saturday, social media quickly filled with videos and posts, some purportedly from eyewitnesses. But unsubstantiated claims also emerged and spread. The joint investigation by police and the National Forensic Service has begun into the cause of the incident. Here is what we know so far. Was it a stampede or a crowd crush? The tragic incident has been described as a “stampede,” “crowd crush” or “crowd surge&rdqu

Nov. 1, 2022

Itaewon disaster forces bitter reckoning over crowd safety in S. Korea

Attending political rallies or other events where tens of thousands of people gather has not typically meant risking your life in South Korea. From massive street protests on weekends to rush hour commutes on the subway, encounters with highly crowded places were almost like part of everyday life. But Saturday’s tragedy in Seoul’s popular nightlife district of Itaewon forces a bitter reckoning over the perils of complacency around crowded spaces in South Korea. “Even with all t

Nov. 1, 2022

Foreign psychologists offer free counseling for expats reeling from Itaewon trauma

Paula Nascimento, a 31-year-old Brazilian female office worker, is suffering from depression and anger after witnessing the nightmarish scenes in Seoul’s Itaewon Saturday night. “My mind kept straying back to when I saw emergency rescuers and citizens performing CPR on people lying unconscious on the street. What terrifies me the most is the faces of teenagers in the crowd screaming for help,” she said. Psychological trauma affects many people, in-person witnesses like Nascimen

Nov. 1, 2022

Stories of those who perished in Itaewon

The tragedy in Itaewon claimed over 150 innocent lives, many of whom were in their 20s and just wanted to celebrate their first mask-free Halloween since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Here are some of their stories. A family night out meets a tragic end The pictures of a mother and daughter are placed side-by-side on the altar at a funeral parlor in southern Seoul. Eighty or so middle school students in uniform line up to pay their respects. The daughter, a 15-year-old middle school studen

Nov. 1, 2022

Itaewon tragedy triggers trauma, rings safety alarm bells

The deadly crowd crush in Itaewon has plunged the public into grief and concern, as the tragedy took place in a popular area in the heart of Seoul. Many in their 20s and 30s -- the age group with the largest number of casualties -- are gripped by the feeling that they could have been in that situation. As of Tuesday morning, there were 156 casualties. “I was going to go a party in Itaewon that night. I didn’t go because of other last-minute plans, but that could have happened to me,

Nov. 1, 2022

Police accelerate probe into Itaewon disaster

Police are looking into all possibilities and allegations raised surrounding the Itaewon disaster, the National Police Agency chief said Tuesday, while admitting to mishandling police reports filed before the incident. At a press conference held Tuesday, National Police Agency Commissioner General Yoon Hee-keun said that there were several 112 reports before the crowd surge happened. “The action of the police was insufficient. To clarify the circumstance and responsibilities, intense inter

Nov. 1, 2022

Niece of US lawmaker among Itaewon victims

One of the 26 foreign victims of Saturday night’s Itaewon tragedy has been identified as the niece of a US politician -- Rep. Brad Wenstrup. Twenty-year-old Anne Marie Geiske is one of the two American victims of the deadly disaster, according to the office for the representative of Ohio’s 2nd congressional district on Monday. “Monica and I, and our entire family, are grieving the loss of our niece Anne Marie Gieske. She was a gift from God to our family. We loved her so much,&

Nov. 1, 2022