Memorials commemorating Itaewon crowd crush to be erected at accident site

A set of memorials will be installed in commemoration of last year's deadly crowd crush in Seoul's Itaewon district on the occasion of the tragedy's first anniversary next month, bereaved families said Friday.

The crowd crush killed 159 people, many of them women in their 20s, on a narrow, sloped back alley in the nightlife district of Itaewon on Oct. 29 as a massive crowd packed the path amid Halloween festivities.

With the accident's first anniversary just a month away, groups representing families of the victims said memorials, called "The Path of Memory and Safety," will be installed along the accident site and unveiled to the public on Oct. 26.

The installation, designed by public art creator Kwon Eun-bi, will comprise a signboard bearing the name of the memorials and three light emitting diode-equipped bulletin boards displaying a description of the crowd crush as well as mourning messages from people and photos.

In commemoration of foreign victims of the tragedy, a mourning message, "All may go well today with all of you who remember that night," will be inscribed in 14 different languages on the boards.

The memorials will also include two stone sign plates, each to be laid on the ground at the start and the end of the accident alley, to remind visitors of the crowd crush and its victims.

"Remembering and mourning for the Itaewon tragedy and its victims are necessary to prevent the occurrence of a similar accident and recover the damage inflicted and, in consideration of this, the accident site should be properly organized," an official at the bereaved families' groups said.

"In addition to the mourning, this installation plan also carries an intention to have the meaning of our warning heard," the official said.

The group plans to retain the memorials until a pending bill aimed at launching a special investigation into the tragedy is enacted into law and permanent memorials are erected to replace them. (Yonhap)