Already a year has passed since the Itaewon tragedy that took the lives of 159 young individuals during a night that was to be a fun Halloween celebration.
With the Halloween season rolling around, there is a topic of discussion that is being hotly debated on the internet recently. An online community post sparked a discussion about whether it is acceptable to head to Itaewon this Halloween. This latest discussion has already amassed thousands of comments from divided netizens.
While some argue that it would be “insensitive” to partake in Itaewon’s Halloween festivities this year, others feel there’s no harm in doing so.
Those in favor of visiting Itaewon assert that their intention behind the visit is to commemorate the Itaewon tragedy and the victims who lost their lives on that horrific night. Additionally, they emphasize the importance of being cautious and concerned for everyone’s safety rather than simply enjoying the festivities.
Last year, on the night of October 29 in Seoul, more than 100,000 people gathered in the neighborhood of Itaewon to celebrate the Halloween weekend. Due to a suspected crowd surge, over a hundred people were reported to have suffered from cardiac arrest.
According to The Korea Herald, “This year, the Seoul Metropolitan Government has prepared various safety measures to prevent similar incidents, including an overcrowding monitoring system that uses surveillance cameras to automatically measure the number of people in an area and analyze crowd density.”
