More than a hundred days after the Itaewon tragedy, where 159 people died during a Halloween party, the wound is still open in South Korea. A conflict now opposes the families of the victims and the town hall of Seoul about the place of the altar in memory of the dead. Located in a large square in the heart of the capital, the authorities want to move it to the basement of a metro station, much to the anger of relatives.
With our correspondent in Seoul, Nicholas Rocca
In front of the town hall, passers-by come to place a white rose on the altar improvised by the families of the victims of the Itaewon tragedy, to mark 100 days after the disaster. An atmosphere made more heavy by the intense police presence. The town hall considers the installation illegal and wants to move it to the basement of a metro station.
We don’t want the memorial place to be in Noksapyeong station, we can’t go there to think about our children. When I think of this place, I feel frustrated and my heart sinks. It would be even sadder to have our children there, it’s a basement place, the parents can’t stay there. We are here to speak out against the unjust death of our children.
Cho So-ra holds a sign in his hand that reads: Stop the Repression at the Memorial Altar “. She believes that not all the light has been shed on the death of her niece Kim Su-jin, of whom she was the legal guardian:
” Nothing has been done, nothing has been explained, we know almost nothing. I know a few things about my child’s last moments, and I want to know why the government handled events this way. »
The investigation into the tragedy, completed last month, does not implicate any official of the Ministry of the Interior or the town hall. Authorities gave the families until February 15 to move the memorial altar before it was forcibly removed.
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