4th anniversary of Oct. 29 Itaewon crowd crush approaches
160th victim's photo added to memorial wall
Commemorations planned throughout October; remembrance ceremony set for Oct. 29
Police form special investigation team to continue probe
"Hyungjun, I'm sorry I didn't understand your pain sooner. I will never forget you. I love you."
Those were the words Baek Ga-in spoke Thursday morning at the Itaewon Crush Remembrance and Communication Space, known as "Byeoldeurui Jip" (House of Stars), on the first floor of the Hyundai Jeokseon Building in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Baek, the father of the late Baek Hyung-jun — officially recognized as the 160th victim of the Oct. 29 Itaewon crowd crush — wept as he called out his son's name. Together with family members, he personally hung his son's framed photo on the memorial wall alongside portraits of the 159 previously recognized victims.
Baek Hyung-jun had been working as a merchant in Itaewon on Oct. 29, 2022, when he witnessed the disaster and rushed to help rescue victims and the injured at the scene. He later suffered from trauma and financial hardship, and died on April 21. The Ministry of Interior and Safety recognized him as the 160th victim of the crush in June.
"As his parent, I am deeply sorry and heartbroken that I could not understand Hyungjun's pain more fully," Baek said. "We must all work together to ensure such a tragedy never happens again."
The bereaved families' council and a civic response committee declared October a "month of remembrance and mourning" ahead of the fourth anniversary of the disaster. Lee Jeong-min, chair of the families' council's steering committee, said the addition of a 160th victim "shows that the wounds of the disaster have not remained in the past — this is an ongoing, present-tense tragedy," and called for a full investigation and measures to prevent a recurrence.
Commemorative events will be held across Seoul throughout the month. A simultaneous citywide picket demonstration is planned for Oct. 14, and a walk through central Seoul departing from the Remembrance Space is scheduled for Oct. 17. On Oct. 24, participants will lay flowers and hold interfaith prayer services at Itaewon Station before marching to Seoul Plaza for a public memorial rally. A fourth-anniversary remembrance ceremony will be held at 10:29 a.m. on Oct. 29 at Gwanghwamun North Plaza.
Families of foreign victims are also traveling to Korea. Thirty-five family members from 18 families across 10 countries — including Iran, China, Russia, Japan and France — will visit from Oct. 23 to Oct. 30. They plan to attend the public memorial rally and the remembrance ceremony, and will receive updates on the investigation through a public briefing by the special investigation committee and separate meetings.
The investigation into the cause of the disaster continues under a new structure. The joint police-prosecution special investigation headquarters' mandate expired Wednesday, and the Korean National Police Agency's National Investigation Headquarters established a dedicated Itaewon Crush Special Investigation Team on Thursday.
According to the civic response committee, 12 police officers who had served on the previous joint investigation team will continue the probe, with one senior superintendent-level commander added — the head of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency Metropolitan Investigation Unit serving concurrently as team leader. The special team has taken over five cases and will continue its investigation based on findings from the special investigation committee or any additional complaints and accusations filed.
The bereaved families' side reiterated its position that the forthcoming Serious Crimes Investigation Agency and the police should form a joint investigation team. The civic response committee said it had already called on both agencies to jointly reconstitute the team "so that a thorough and complete investigation can be carried out," and expressed hope that a cooperative investigative framework between the two bodies would be established.
jookapooka@heraldcorp.com
