[Itaewon Tragedy] Joint Memorial Altars in Seoul Expected to Draw Over 10,000 Mourners on First Day

A Total of 9,377 People Paid Respects at Seoul Plaza and 25 District Altars by 5 PM

Citizens waiting to pay their respects by offering flowers at the joint memorial altar for the victims of the Itaewon tragedy, set up at Seoul Plaza in Jung-gu, Seoul, on the 31st. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo Byung-don] The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced that nearly 10,000 mourners visited the joint memorial altar for the victims of the Itaewon tragedy on the 31st.

By 5 p.m. that day, a total of 9,377 mourners had paid their respects at the joint memorial altars set up in Seoul Plaza and 25 autonomous districts. Of these, 4,038 visited the Seoul Plaza altar, and 5,339 visited the altars in the 25 districts.

Considering that the altars were open until 10 p.m. that day, the number of mourners is expected to exceed 10,000.

At the Seoul Plaza altar, President Yoon Seok-yeol and his wife, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min, Minister of Foreign Affairs Park Jin, Minister of Justice Han Dong-hoon, and Minister of Unification Kwon Young-se visited to pay their respects.

Other figures from various fields who visited the altar included People Power Party Emergency Committee Chairman Jeong Jin-seok, Justice Party lawmaker Shim Sang-jung, National Assembly Secretary-General Lee Kwang-jae, Archbishop Jeong Sun-taek of the Catholic Archdiocese of Seoul, HD Hyundai Chairman Kwon Oh-gap, Asan Foundation Chairman Chung Mong-joon, SK Chairman Chey Tae-won, and Korean Confederation of Trade Unions Chairman Yang Kyung-soo.

Diplomatic figures also continued to pay their respects, including Polish Deputy Prime Minister Yacek Sasin, who is visiting Korea, as well as ambassadors from the United States, China, the United Kingdom, Austria, and the Philippines.

Former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, former Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum, and soccer coach Hong Myung-bo also prayed for the victims at the Seoul Plaza altar.

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