Citizens and bereaved families, wearing purple butterfly brooches on their chests and purple jackets, gathered again in the alleys of Itaewon four years later. They laid chrysanthemums at the site of the disaster and bowed their heads, recalling the grief of that day that has yet to heal.
The "Fourth Anniversary Flower Offering and Memorial Prayer Service for the Itaewon Disaster" was held on the 24th in front of Exit 1 of Itaewon Station in Seoul's Yongsan District.
"The reason we have gathered today is not simply to repeat our sorrow," said Lee Jung-min, head of the steering committee of the Oct. 29 Itaewon Disaster Bereaved Families Council. "It is to etch deep in our hearts the names of the 160 victims who departed in anguish, and to reaffirm our promise to stand fully by the bereaved families and survivors who remain."
The memorial event was also attended by 35 relatives of 18 foreign victims, who visited South Korea on an official government invitation for the second year running.
Under an overcast sky, citizens in tears placed chrysanthemums beneath a memorial board set up in the "Alley of Memory and Safety" in front of Exit 1 of Itaewon Station and observed a moment of silence. Some lingered, unable to leave as they gazed for a long while at sticky notes bearing messages of remembrance.
The flower offering was followed by prayer services from four religious orders: Buddhism, Protestantism, Won Buddhism and Catholicism. A bereaved family member of the Muslim faith also recited from the Quran, the Islamic scripture.
After the prayer service, the bereaved families and citizens are to march from Itaewon Station past Seoul Station to Seoul Plaza.
Upon completing the march, they will attend the fourth anniversary citizens' memorial rally for the Itaewon disaster, titled "Toward the Truth by the Light of the Stars," to be held at 5:30 p.m. at Seoul Plaza and jointly organized by the bereaved families council, the citizens' response committee, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and the Seoul Metropolitan Government.
The Oct. 29 Itaewon Disaster Bereaved Families Council and the citizens' response committee said they hope many citizens will take part in the fourth anniversary memorial events "with the intention of standing alongside the bereaved families and survivors as they take another step toward uncovering the truth."