Itaewon Bereaved Families: "Seoul City's Proposal Made Progress but Regret the Suggested End Date"

Seoul City Proposes Joint Operation of Memorial Altars from April 1-5
Bereaved Families Express Practical Refusal

The bereaved families of the Itaewon disaster have effectively declined Seoul City's proposal to jointly operate the memorial altar. They criticized the city for unilaterally deciding the end date for the altar's operation and focusing solely on dismantling without sincerity.

On February 18th, a citizen is paying tribute at the 10.29 Itaewon tragedy memorial altar installed at Seoul Plaza in Jung-gu, Seoul. [Image source=Yonhap News]

On the 7th, the 10.29 Itaewon Disaster Bereaved Families Council and the Citizens' Countermeasure Meeting stated in a press release, "Seoul City's proposal is a step forward compared to the past 'Noksapyeong Station Basement 4th Floor,'" but added, "It is very regrettable that the city set the end date for the Seoul Plaza memorial altar and proposed it through the media."

Furthermore, the council explained, "The day to receive the final condolences at the Seoul Plaza memorial altar should be decided by the bereaved families, not by Seoul City," and "It is inevitable to maintain the Seoul Plaza memorial altar, which is the only space where the bereaved families can properly mourn the victims and communicate with citizens, for a while longer."

However, they added, "Recently, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety launched the 10.29 Disaster Victim Support Group, so we will observe whether the government and Seoul City will sincerely prepare solutions for the disaster," and "The council and the Citizens' Countermeasure Meeting will keep all possibilities open and begin discussions on temporary memorial spaces, among other options."

Seoul City announced in a briefing that it plans to propose to the bereaved families to jointly operate an official memorial altar at Seoul Plaza from April 1 to 5. Lee Dong-ryul, Seoul City spokesperson, explained, "We wanted to reflect the significance of 159 days since the disaster involving 159 victims," and "We also considered the need to fully provide the plaza to citizens after April." After operating the altar in April, the city plans to establish a temporary memorial and communication space near Seoul City Hall.

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