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| The Association of Families of Itaewon Disaster Victims holds a press conference to announce a mourning period to mark 100 days since the Itaewon tragedy in front of the Seoul Government Complex, Jan. 30. Yonhap |
By Lee Hae-rin
Seoul Metropolitan Government did not grant use of Gwanghwamun Square to a group of bereaved families for a mourning event marking the 100-day Itaewon tragedy scheduled this Saturday, citing that the public space had already been granted use for another event.
According to the Seoul government and the Association of Families of Itaewon Disaster Victims, Thursday, the city government notified the association on Tuesday that the ceremony cannot take place at the square. The public space is already allotted to be used by local broadcaster KBS for program filming from Feb. 3 to 4 between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m.
The association consists of around 180 family members and 97 survivors of the crowd crush that killed at least 158 people during Halloween festivities in Itaewon on Oct. 29, 2022.
Gwanghwamun Square is the capital's iconic landmark for mass gatherings. The 14,100 square meters of the newly renovated public space lie along a boulevard connecting with City Hall and links with seven stations on four metro lines within a one-kilometer radius. Before and after the renovation, the venue has hosted cheering events for the World Cup, as well as many demonstrations and protests.
The KBS shoot and the memorial are planned at different times and places, according to Lee Mi-hyeon, the chief watch officer of the civic group organizing the memorial in support of the bereaved families. The filming is planned to happen around the statue of Admiral Yi Sun-shin in the middle of the plaza and is scheduled to end before midday on Saturday, whereas the mourning event had been planned to start at 2 p.m. at the plaza's northern end.
In response to Seoul's rejection delivered on Jan. 26, the association condemned the city government for showing no effort to adjust the schedule and submitted for approval again. The city government rejected the submission.
However, the Seoul government told The Korea Times, Thursday that double booking a public space "goes against the city government's principles."
Seoul spokesperson said the square "can only be approved for one group at a time" and there will be installation work for a cultural assets exhibition all day on Saturday, which had been postponed since last year.
The city government rejected the association's second request to use Gwanghwamun Square. The mourning event will take place in the three lanes of Sejong-daero next to the plaza.
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