Families of Seoul Halloween disaster victims march for justice
Frank Smith
Press TV, Seoul
At Seoul City Hall, the families of the victims of the Itaewon tragedy and their supporters gathered to pay their respects at a temporary memorial and to press the government to apologize and punish those ultimately responsible. Kim Hye-in's brother, Eui-hyeon, was among the 159 people killed in the crowd crush last Halloween.
Two separate probes, one by the police and another by lawmakers at the National Assembly, resulted in the indictment of several lower level police and local officials.
The investigations of the Itaewon tragedy have turned political, with the Democratic Party controlled National Assembly voting to impeach the minister of interior and safety, Lee Sang-min. Lee had said the disaster could not have been prevented, angering the public and families of the victims.
Officials knew tens of thousands of young people would gather in Itaewon that night, yet no crowd control measures were taken. Beginning at 6:34 p.m. - hours before the crowd crush, more than 10 emergency calls warned the police of overcrowding.
Of those that died, 26 were foreigners, including five Iranian exchange students. As families of the victims and their supporters marched to the presidential office, they again called for truth and justice and a proper memorial to their lost loved ones.
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