Itaewon Tragedy Memorial Altar Moved to Seoul Plaza... Bereaved Families "We Will Protect It from Seoul City"

[Asia Economy Reporter Gong Byung-sun] The bereaved families of the Itaewon disaster and civic groups have relocated and consolidated the memorial altar to Seoul Plaza. While the Seoul city government maintains its stance to dismantle the altar it installed abruptly the next day, the bereaved families emphasized that they will not voluntarily remove the altar.

On the afternoon of the 14th, at the 10·29 Itaewon Disaster Victims Citizens' Memorial Altar set up in Noksapyeong Station Plaza, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, bereaved families shed tears while looking at the portrait before the press conference for the relocation and integration of the Noksapyeong Station memorial altar.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

On the 14th, around 2 p.m., 40 people including the bereaved families of the Itaewon disaster, the Itaewon Disaster Bereaved Families Council (Council), and the Itaewon Disaster Citizens’ Countermeasure Committee (Committee) held a 'Press Conference on the Relocation and Consolidation of the Noksapyeong Station Memorial Altar' at Itaewon Square in front of Noksapyeong Station.

The bereaved families announced that they would completely move the memorial altar from in front of Noksapyeong Station to Seoul Plaza. They also stated that they would not accept the Seoul city government’s planned dismantling scheduled for the next day. Seo Chae-wan, co-head of the Committee’s joint situation room, explained, "The Seoul city government intends to dismantle the memorial altar installed for remembrance and mourning tomorrow," adding, "The dismantling of the altar by the Seoul city government cannot be justified as it undermines dignity."

The Seoul city government was also criticized for not providing a space for mourning despite bearing responsibility for the disaster. Lee Jong-cheol, representative of the Council, said, "We first asked the Seoul city government to prepare a memorial space at a corner of Seoul Plaza to mourn the children who passed away and requested their cooperation," adding, "The Seoul city government did not communicate with us at all." Furthermore, he stated, "We will no longer engage in dialogue with Mayor Oh Se-hoon and the Seoul city government," and added, "We will request a meeting with President Yoon Suk-yeol. President Yoon should not refuse the meeting request and should confidently step forward."

The memorial altar in front of Noksapyeong Station was first installed on December 14 last year. Subsequently, the bereaved families abruptly installed a memorial altar at Seoul Plaza on the 4th, one day before the 100th day since the Itaewon disaster occurred. According to the bereaved families, the Noksapyeong Station altar was not an appropriate location due to poor accessibility and accumulating complaints from nearby merchants.

The Seoul city government opposed installing the altar near Seoul City Hall, citing safety concerns such as obstruction to pedestrian walkways caused by structures installed in public parks. Afterward, considering the altar installed by the bereaved families at Seoul Plaza as an illegal structure, the Seoul city government requested voluntary removal by 1 p.m. the next day through a notice. The city government stated that if the deadline is exceeded, it will forcibly dismantle the altar.

The bereaved families, the Council, and the Committee plan to hold a press conference at 1 p.m. the next day at the Seoul Plaza memorial altar. They intend to condemn the Seoul city government for opposing the installation of the altar during the press conference.

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