One Year On, South Korea's Itaewon Halloween Disaster Victims Demand Independent Investigation, Accountability

South Korea observes subdued Halloween celebrations a year after crush disaster in Seoul's Itaewon district, with victims' families and opposition lawmakers calling for a special, independent investigation and stronger accountability for the incident.

South Korea observes subdued Halloween celebrations a year after a disastrous crowd crush in Seoul's Itaewon district resulted in the death of 159 individuals, with victims' families and opposition lawmakers demanding an independent investigation and stronger accountability.
Grieving relatives accuse politicians and officials of blaming those caught up in the disaster, seeking transparency on how authorities failed to prevent the catastrophe. An initial investigation concluded it as a 'man-made disaster' caused by inadequate crowd-control measures and ignored calls for help.
Twenty-three officials were referred for prosecution for negligence but no verdicts have been delivered yet, and no senior government officials have been held accountable, sparking outrage from victims' families.
In response, Seoul's city government announced additional police officers for patrol and a new crowd monitoring system to prevent overcrowding, yet the lack of clarity and accountability over the incident continues to prolong agony for survivors and victims' families.
The South Korean President and Safety Minister offered public apologies for the incident and pledged to upgrade the national safety measures to avoid similar incidents, while opposition parties criticized their response and pledged to pass a law for independent investigation into the disaster.