In Seoul, a “memorial alley” was inaugurated at the site of the deadly stampede of 2022

An alley in Seoul (South Korea) was officially declared a “memorial alley” on Thursday October 26. The place had been the scene of a stampede which left nearly 160 dead on the occasion of the Halloween festival, on October 29, 2022. Tens of thousands of people, mainly young people, had gathered in the popular district of Itaewon, in the heart of Seoul, to party. A stampede in a narrow alley in the neighborhood left nearly 160 people dead. This alley is now decorated with hundreds of paper messages to pay tribute to the victims.

Relatives call for an independent investigation

Beyond a place of memory, it is also a call for more “security” so that such a drama “will not happen again in the future” said Lee Jung-min, a representative of the victims’ families at the street renaming ceremony held on Thursday. This man, who lost his 28-year-old daughter in the stampede, recalled that the families of the victims were still looking for answers about the exact causes and circumstances of the tragedy. Many relatives of victims and activists are calling for the adoption of a law to impose an independent investigation into the tragedy, in particular to determine the responsibilities of the various authorities concerned.

Earlier this year, a special investigation by South Korean police concluded that there had been huge failures, both in the planning of the festive event and in the response of authorities and emergency services. after the stampede broke out. But the police had avoided clearly naming those responsible. Local authorities in Seoul have banned the celebration of Halloween in certain areas of the capital this year. In Itaewon, many stores and bars decided themselves not to celebrate the event, out of decency.