[Itaewon Tragedy] Halloween Events and Festivals Canceled One After Another... Related Products Also Disposed

Everland, Lotte World, and Legoland Halt Ongoing Events Completely
Department Stores, Large Marts, Hotels, and Game Companies Also Cancel Planned Exhibitions and Events

On the 31st, a citizen is paying tribute to the victims at the memorial space for the victims of the 'Halloween crowd crush' accident set up in front of Exit 1 of Itaewon Station on Subway Line 6 in Yongsan-gu, Seoul. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Intern Lee Gyehwa] Following the Halloween crowd crush disaster in Itaewon, Seoul, festivals and events held or scheduled across the country have been successively scaled down or canceled.

On the night of the 29th, tens of thousands of people gathered in the alleys of Itaewon, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, resulting in a massive crowd crush disaster with over 300 casualties. The government designated Yongsan-gu, Seoul, as a special disaster zone. This is the 11th time a special disaster zone has been declared due to a social disaster.

Previously, special disaster zones were declared during the collapse of the Sampoong Department Store in 1995 and the Sewol ferry sinking accident in 2014. When designated as a special disaster zone, some relief funds for the bereaved families of the deceased and the injured are supported by the national treasury.

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo held a briefing at the Government Seoul Office on the morning of the 30th and announced, "A national mourning period will be declared until November 5."

Accordingly, Everland, which originally planned to hold its Halloween festival for 80 days from October 2 to November 20, decided to completely suspend the festival as a gesture of mourning following the large-scale crowd crush accident. Legoland in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province, which has been holding Halloween parties since mid-October, canceled related events entirely to join in mourning the victims of the disaster. Lotte World also decided to fully suspend Halloween events in accordance with the declaration of the national mourning period.

Starbucks also announced it would end promotions for Halloween drinks and food early. Paul Bassett is currently removing all promotional materials and in-store displays.

Lotte Department Store canceled all events including the Jamsil Lotte World Mall pop-up store and Halloween parade. Posters and images related to the events were also removed, and events prepared by each store were halted. Shinsegae Department Store and Hyundai Department Store also canceled store-specific events and dismantled decorations released by each brand.

The three major large marts?Lotte Mart, E-Mart, and Homeplus?also removed all Halloween-related posters and images and withdrew from events. Convenience store CU suspended its free delivery promotion for Halloween costumes and party supplies, and GS25 dismantled booths installed at the Halloween festival held at Jamsil Main Stadium.

The hotel industry also suspended related events and observed a mourning period. Paradise Hotel & Resort, Kolon Resort & Hotel, and Everland temporarily suspended or canceled Halloween-related events to mourn the Itaewon crowd crush disaster the previous morning.

The gaming industry also decided to suspend or end Halloween events early. On the previous day, major domestic game companies such as NCSoft, Nexon, Netmarble, and Com2uS announced the early termination of in-game events planned for the Halloween period.

In Incheon, a pre-game event that was scheduled to be held in a grand manner before the women's professional basketball regular league game between Shinhan Bank and KB was canceled, and players observed a moment of silence and wore black ribbons before the game to mourn the deceased.