[Reporter’s Notebook] Saying Goodbye to a Junior in Itaewon

[Asia Economy Reporter Oh Gyumin] “Senior, what should we do?” On the afternoon of the 30th, a reporter guarding the alley next to the Hamilton Hotel in Itaewon received a call. A junior from university was crying as they delivered the news. Another junior who had worked together in the student council had been a victim of this tragedy. After hanging up, I turned my head. I quietly stared at ‘that alley.’

I hesitated to go to the funeral hall. The fact that my junior was at the scene shown in the accident videos and photos kept swirling in my mind. The reason I decided to go was this one phrase: “I hope many friends come.”

Late in the afternoon on the 31st, I visited the funeral hall at Seoul Boramae Hospital with people who had worked together in the student council. Many people came, and after waiting about 10 minutes, we paid our respects. The junior in the photo was smiling at the reporter. It was a graduation photo. That alley in Itaewon flashed before my eyes. The junior’s mother comforted the crying reporter, saying it was okay.

The junior was an exceptionally cool friend. While serving as the president of the department, they were also the vocalist of a band and had many talents. We helped each other a lot during the college festival and freshman orientation (OT). After regular meetings, if I was bored and asked them to drink, they would join. “I still remember the video of us all preparing a performance and dancing during OT,” the mother recalled those days.

Eight years passed, and the junior was going to marry a good husband next year. The husband was also swept up in the crowd at that time. The husband, who regained consciousness first, performed CPR on the junior for an hour. They had found a newlywed home and finished their wedding photoshoot, and were preparing to send out wedding invitations.

Besides this junior, six people around the reporter were victims of this tragedy. Including them, 156 people, most of whom had gone to enjoy the Halloween festival, tragically lost their lives. As much time as needed to mourn them is necessary, and after that, thorough measures must be prepared to understand why such an accident happened, who is responsible, what must be done to prevent recurrence, and how to respond if a similar accident occurs.

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