[Itaewon Tragedy] Financial Sector Also in Mourning... Series of Events Canceled

On the 31st, chrysanthemums were placed at the site of the Halloween crowd crush accident in Itaewon, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, to commemorate the victims. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Buaeri] Following the Itaewon tragedy, the financial sector is joining the mourning by temporarily postponing scheduled events and canceling Halloween-related activities.

The Financial Services Commission canceled the '5th Accounting Day Commemoration Ceremony' scheduled for the 31st. Accounting Day is a commemorative day established by private organizations such as the Korea Institute of Certified Public Accountants to mark the enactment of the new External Audit Act. The event was originally planned to be held at the 63 Building in Yeouido that morning. The FSC stated, "Considering the national mourning period, the event has been canceled."

Financial Supervisory Service Governor Lee Bok-hyun also canceled his field visit to Busan scheduled for the 1st of next month. Governor Lee was to attend the '2022 Busan Marine and Finance Week and Busan Marine Finance Convention' hosted by Busan City and hold an on-site meeting to support vulnerable borrowers in the Busan area.

Securities firms also canceled Halloween-related events and activities that day. SK Securities had been running a marketing event offering benefits to new customers remotely for Halloween but suspended the event. The Korea Exchange had planned to hold an unveiling ceremony for the public campaign 'Scammers' Art Exhibition' to prevent damage from illegal leading chat rooms that morning but canceled the schedule.

The banking sector also joined the mourning. The National Federation of Fisheries Cooperatives decided to temporarily postpone the 'Public Fund Early Repayment Commemoration Ceremony' scheduled for 11 a.m. on the 1st at The-K Hotel Seoul in Yangjae-dong, Seoul. The federation stated, "Considering the national mourning and memorial period for the victims of the Itaewon accident, we have made this decision," adding, "We express our deep condolences to all victims who lost their lives in this tragedy and offer comfort to their families."

KakaoBank posted a condolence message on its application. KakaoBank said, "We express our condolences for the Itaewon human casualty accident," and "We pray for the repose of the deceased and the speedy recovery of the injured." K Bank also displayed a message at the top of its app stating, "We extend our deepest condolences and sympathy to those grieving from the accident."

Hyundai Card decided to temporarily suspend operations of cultural spaces located in Itaewon, such as the Music Library and Understage, until the 5th.

On the night of the 29th, ahead of Halloween Day, a tragedy occurred in Itaewon, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, where a large crowd caused the suffocation deaths of 154 people. Following President Yoon Seok-yeol’s directive, the government declared a national mourning period until the 5th of next month to express condolences.

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