SUWON — Gyeonggi Province said on the 21st that it is holding a memorial period through the 30th to mark the fourth anniversary of the Oct. 29 Itaewon crowd crush.
The province has been flying memorial flags at its provincial office building for 12 days starting on the 19th and has hung memorial banners at the entrances to honor the victims.
Following last year's observance, the province said it again intends to share the pain of bereaved families and victims through the memorial displays at the provincial office. It set up the memorial space so that residents can reflect on the meaning of the disaster in their daily lives and come together in mourning.
An online memorial is also being held. Gyeonggi Province will operate an online remembrance space on its website starting on the 24th. Any resident can pay tribute to the victims and leave messages of condolence for bereaved families and victims. The space began as a memorial message board created immediately after the disaster and has continued as a place for residents to express their condolences.
Gyeonggi Province Governor Choo Mi-ae plans to attend the government's official memorial ceremony for the fourth anniversary of the Oct. 29 Itaewon crowd crush, to be held at Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul on the 29th, the anniversary of the disaster. The governor will pay tribute to the victims and offer condolences to bereaved families at the event.
"We deeply mourn the victims and offer our heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families and victims," Choo said. "Gyeonggi Province will not forget the pain of that day and will listen to the voices of the victims and bereaved families."
She added, "We will fulfill our responsibility to protect the lives and safety of our residents."
Separately, an exhibition titled "Memory, a Signpost Toward a Safe Society" was held last month at the Gyeonggi Provincial Office, hosted by Urihamkke, a center for the rights of disaster victims, and Chungkang College of Cultural Industries. At the exhibition, young artists told the stories of disaster victims through comic works and highlighted the meaning of victims' rights and social remembrance.