Itaewon back in spotlight after Halloween tragedy

Officials from the National Forensic Service and local police force on Monday examine the alley located in Itaewon of Seoul's Yongsan District where a crowd crush occurred last Saturday killing 154 people and injuring many others. Yonhap

By Ko Dong-hwan

• Published Oct 31, 2022 5:12 PM KST
• Updated Nov 1, 2022 4:18 PM KST

By Ko Dong-hwan

One of the obvious causes of the recent fatal crowd crush in Itaewon, Korea's most vibrant, international district, was the massive, uncontrolled crowd of approximately 100,000 that crammed into the narrow streets, bars, restaurants of the neighborhood celebrating Halloween.

The vibrant neighborhood has grown from a cluster of seedy bars and cheap clothing stores decades ago into a bustling entertainment district with a multicultural population, boasting a musical theater, chic restaurants, art galleries and trendy boutiques.

But the horrific event that killed at least 154 people, including 25 foreign nationals last weekend brought back some painful memories for many Koreans associated with the Itaewon area.

In 1997, two Korean American teenagers colluded and stabbed to death a Korean university student in a washroom inside a Burger King restaurant in Itaewon. The suspects were Arthur Patterson, 17, and Edward Lee, 18. The Supreme Court in Korea in 2017 confirmed a previous sentence of 20 years in prison for Patterson, who stabbed the victim, fled to the U.S. before being extradited to Seoul in cooperation with U.S. law enforcement.

In 2020, a COVID-19 cluster infection was traced to Itaewon. In May of that year, the country's 66th patient who tested positive visited five clubs and bars in the area. It led to 15 new COVID-19 cases. Three days later, Seoul Metropolitan Government banned entry to all clubs in the city.

In recent years, crowds in Itaewon have become common. Unlike some quieter areas of the city, some of Itaewon's streets see visitors until the wee hours almost every night of the week. Halloween happens to be one of the times of year when the popularity reaches its apex, keeping local police and fire stations in the past on high alert.

But why has Itaewon been so popular among night owls, and how has this district in the central Seoul district of Yongsan maintained this legacy for decades? Alongside Gangnam, Hongdae and Jamsil, Itaewon is one of the hot spots in Seoul. But Itaewon has that extra something: it is a space of multiculturalism in Seoul, with some even calling the area a cultural melting pot.

How Itaewon became multicultural is mostly due to its location ― it is close to the Yongsan Garrison, a military base most recently operated under the United States Forces Korea (USFK) until 2017 when the forces were relocated to Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province. Frequented by U.S. soldiers from the garrison, Itaewon was the English-speaking commercial area immediately outside of the base as well as an entertainment spot.

But out of all 10 USFK garrisons, airbases and camps in South Korea ― each with its own nearby commercial and entertainment district ― Itaewon became popular among not just American soldiers but also, more recently with residents and visitors, regardless of their nationality or ethnicity.

One of the reasons for that was easy access, according to an official from Yongsan District Office. “I cannot think of any other reasons but its good location,” Im Ji-won, a PR Department official from the district office, told The Korea Times. “It's right at the center of Seoul and there are three metro stations across Itaewon so visitors can conveniently come and go. It's unlike any other entertainment districts near other USFK sites in the country.”

Another reason is the high population of foreign nationals living in Yongsan District. The main business area of Itaewon, located within the Itaewon-dong area, has the second-highest number of foreign residents in the district following adjacent Hannam-dong, where many embassies and consulates are located. As of 2020, over 19,000 foreign nationals were living in Yongsan District but because Hannam-dong is mostly a residential area while Itaewon-dong is mostly commercial, Itaewon became known as an entertainment district.

“It's not that the Yongsan District Office or local Korean communities or agencies hosted some special events around Halloween to invite local foreigners here,” Kim Joo-ho, a senior official from Yongsan Culture Center, told The Korea Times. “As you know, Halloween in America is celebrated by local residents voluntarily. No local authority hosts anything. That was the same in Itaewon, where foreigners who were familiar with the holiday took the initiative and spread the custom. And because of the holiday's uniqueness ― costumes, spooky decorations ― people were naturally drawn to it.”

In the period after Korea's liberation from Japanese colonial occupation (1945) and during the Korean War (1950-53), American soldiers were stationed in Yongsan and elsewhere across the country. The South Korean government accepted U.S. military aid while its cultural influence also proliferated. Yongsan Garrison and Itaewon grew to become “Little America in Seoul.”

Kim Chun-soo, the director of the Center of Yongsan Studies, an NGO, said that the biggest reason for Itaewon's lasting popularity is its deep-rooted historical significance to the country that dates even further back to the beginning of Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910). Located a few kilometers south of Sungnyemun Gate ― one of the four great gates that had safeguarded royal palaces at the center of Seoul from four different directions during the period ― Itaewon connected crowds of travelers, merchants, government officials and foreign envoys from Sungnyemun to the Han River a few kilometers south of the area. “Itaewon” had once referred to a government facility similar to an inn during the period that catered to those who dropped by the area, according to director Kim.

“With the booming human traffic, the area of Itaewon grew to become more and more like a community where people lived, ate, drank and lodged,” director Kim said. “But following the Russo-Japanese War in 1904, which Japan won earning it control over the Korean Peninsula, the Japanese military took up part of the Itaewon area to station its troops there. Following World War II and the Korean War, the U.S. soldiers replaced the Japanese presence. Then, the soldiers and Korean traders exchanged cultures. That custom has continued until now.”

Director Kim emphasized Itaewon's long traditional presence in the country as one that shouldn't necessarily be overshadowed by its present image as an open and free commercial and entertainment district. Bugundang, an old shrine on a hill north of Itaewon's main road, which was built in 1619 to enshrine a deity believed to protect the neighborhood back then, reflects how tradition runs deep through the neighborhood, he said.

“As a historian, I expect that the impact from the latest disaster at Itaewon will somehow force the area's long traditional characteristics to change once again,” said the director.