Memorial services and events will be held in multiple locations in Seoul on Sunday to mark the first anniversary of the Halloween crowd crush in Itaewon that killed about 160 people.
Bereaved families and a related civic group said that they will hold a memorial service to mark the first anniversary at 5 p.m. Sunday at Seoul Plaza in central Seoul.
The service will be held for about two hours, paying respects to 159 victims and calling for the punishment of those responsible for the deadly incident.
Main opposition Democratic Party Chief Lee Jae-myung, minor opposition Justice Party Chief Lee Jeong-mi and many lawmakers from their parties will attend the service, while the head of the ruling People Power Party’s Innovation Committee, Ihn Yo-han, PPP Chief Policymaker Yu Eui-dong and PPP Secretary General Lee Man-hee will attend it in their private capacity.
The bereaved families will then attend a memorial mass at Myeongdong Cathedral in Seoul at noon.
At 2 p.m., a joint prayer service of the nation’s four major religions – Protestantism, Buddhism, Won Buddhism, and Catholicism – will be held at an exit of Itaewon Station, near the site of the tragedy.
After the service, the bereaved families and citizens will leave Itaewon at 2:40 p.m. and march past the Yongsan presidential office and Seoul Station toward Seoul Plaza.