Humidifier disinfectant victims' group clashes with Seoul over mourning tent at Gwanghwamun

A victims' group demanding a formal state apology and a full investigation into the humidifier disinfectant disaster has come into conflict with the Seoul Metropolitan Government over its attempt to set up a mourning tent at Gwanghwamun Square, following the death of Seo Young-cheol, the late head of the National Humidifier Disinfectant Disaster Victims' Solidarity.

According to the solidarity group, members faced off against Seoul city officials for an extended period starting around 11 a.m. Sunday at Gwanghwamun Square in Jongno-gu, Seoul, over the installation of a tent to serve as a memorial space for Seo.

Kim Hyun-su, the group's secretary-general, said the tent was needed to shield Seo's portrait photo from the rain. "We planned to set up the memorial space at Gwanghwamun Square and receive mourners at Seoul Plaza," Kim said. Participants remained at the scene in the rain, equipped with ponchos and umbrellas.

Seo was rushed to the emergency center at Seoul National University Hospital with a pneumothorax on Tuesday and died at the age of 69. A victim of the humidifier disinfectant disaster himself, he had relied on an oxygen generator and a wheelchair in his daily life. He reportedly left a final wish that his death not be marked with a formal funeral, but instead used as an occasion to continue the fight at Gwanghwamun Square.

The solidarity group held a press conference at Gwanghwamun Square on Friday, urging the state to acknowledge its responsibility for the disaster and issue a formal apology to victims and the public. The group also called for the resumption of investigations that had stalled after the Special Commission on Social Disasters completed its term, and for a review of the legal and administrative accountability of officials implicated in the commission's records.