Families of Itaewon crowd crush victims gather at Itaewon Station for 4th anniversary memorial

A flower-offering ceremony and memorial prayer service marking the fourth anniversary of the Itaewon crowd crush were held Saturday afternoon in front of Exit 1 of Itaewon Station on Seoul Metro Line 6.

Citizens and bereaved family members, many wearing purple butterfly-shaped brooches, gathered at the disaster site near Exit 1 to lay flowers and observe a moment of silence.

The commemoration was also attended by 35 family members of 18 foreign victims who traveled to South Korea on an official government invitation — the second consecutive year such an invitation has been extended.

Mourners placed chrysanthemums beneath a memorial board installed in the alley known as the "Road of Memory and Safety" and observed a moment of silence. As in previous years, many visitors left written tributes on the board.

Following the flower offerings, prayer services were held by representatives of four religious communities — Buddhist, Protestant, Won Buddhist and Catholic. Family members who are Muslim recited passages from the Quran.

After the prayer service, bereaved families and citizens set off from Itaewon Station, marching past Seoul Station to Seoul Plaza in front of Seoul City Hall. There, a public memorial rally for the fourth anniversary of the Itaewon crowd crush is being held jointly by the bereaved families council, a civic response committee, the Ministry of Interior and Safety and the Seoul Metropolitan Government.

Ahead of the rally, an information space was set up at Seoul Plaza with sections on commemorating the Itaewon crowd crush, disaster response and life safety.