On the night of 29 October 2022, a crowd crush occurred during Halloween festivities in the Itaewon neighborhood of Seoul, when 158 mostly young people died and 197 were injured.
Seven Major Religious Associations of Korea opened the Memorial Rite of Itaewon tragedy on 16th December, It was the 49th day to commemorate the victims of Itaewon disaster. The Majority Religion of Koreans are Buddhist, Catholic, and others. According to their religious tradition 49th day after the death is a special day. People visit the temple to pray for the dead victims.
Our sisters of St. Benedict group in Priory House participated in this memorial ceremony held in Itaewon. The photos of young victims’ portraits made us teary eyed. After the memorial ceremony, they visited the site of the disaster. It took about 10 minutes. It looked different from what we have seen on the TV news.
The slope was less flat than what we have seen on TV and the street was rather short. It was incredible that so many people were hurt and 159 young people were crushed to death there. We condoled the victims, praying that no more of this kind of accident may happen again. We requested to make a thorough investigation so that no more of this kind of accident can happen. We will resolve to take action that is best for the victims and the bereaved family.
