"Itaewon Merchants Testify: 'People Pushed In, Some Asked If We Sell Slippers'"

Shop Owner Near Alley: "Usually Crowded Even on Weekends"
"Bodies with Covered Faces, People Crying or Looking for Friends, It Was Devastating"

On the afternoon of the 29th, a large-scale human casualty occurred as crowds gathered in the Itaewon-dong area of Yongsan-gu, Seoul, to celebrate Halloween. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Jung-wan] "It was a place that was crowded even with the usual number of visitors on weekends." This is what Mr. A, who runs a store next to the alley where the Itaewon disaster in Yongsan-gu, Seoul occurred, said. Mr. A said that the alley where the disaster happened was usually crowded with people even on weekend evenings, and on the day of the disaster, "people were crowding into the store." He also mentioned that some people came into the store asking, "Do you sell shoes or slippers?"

On the 31st, Mr. A explained the situation during an interview with CBS Radio's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show.' He said, "(The alley where the accident happened) usually starts getting crowded from around 7 or 8 p.m. on weekend Saturdays, but that day (the 29th), it started getting crowded from 6 p.m., and people kept stopping and walking repeatedly," adding, "As this repeated, the number of times people crowded into the store increased." He continued, "So I kept asking customers for their understanding."

Mr. A, who said that because it was Halloween, the store was busy with many customers and loud music playing, did not immediately realize the accident. He explained that he began to sense something was wrong when he started receiving messages from family and friends asking if he was okay.

After going outside the store, Mr. A said, "At first, I wondered what this was, but it really looked a bit like 'Gotham City.'" He added, "There was no control, it was chaos, and at first, I saw someone performing CPR, but I couldn't really grasp if it was real." He said, "In front of the Twosome Place over there, there were many bodies with their faces covered, and in front of me, there were people crying and searching for friends, all tangled together. I really wondered if this was real, it felt like a war, and it was truly devastating."

When asked by the host, "I heard the music was so loud that communication was difficult. Couldn't it have been stopped?" Mr. A replied, "The store right in front probably also found it very hard to recognize the situation," adding, "Even though my store is just a minute away, I didn't know what was happening, and the stores in front probably didn't see anyone fall." He continued, "It was such chaos that I think no one could easily grasp the situation."

Mr. A said, "Around 11 o'clock, just after, I was tidying up chairs in the store and preparing so people could stand and eat, when suddenly someone came into the store. At the time, I didn't realize it, but now thinking back, they asked, 'Do you happen to have any slippers left? Do you sell slippers?'"

He added, "At first, I thought, would someone ask if a hamburger store sells slippers? Even on Halloween, could they be joking? But now, thinking about it, in the midst of the crowd, after being pushed and surviving, they probably asked me in a very frantic state, trying to get shoes or something."

Mr. A also said, "After 11 o'clock, there were many people limping, crying, shouting, and looking for friends, so thinking about that situation, I can understand why they would do that," adding, "I haven't been able to sleep well for the past two days either."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.