"They are trying to put us into the 4th basement floor of Noksapyeong Station"

"Memorial Altar at City Hall to Inform Public of Young Lives Lost"
Interview with Deputy Representative of Itaewon 10·29 Disaster Bereaved Families

[Asia Economy Reporter Ryu Jeong-min] "They keep pressuring us and trying to push us into the underground space on the 4th basement floor of Noksapyeong Station, but we cannot accept that."

On the 7th, Lee Jeong-min, Vice Representative of the October 29 Disaster Bereaved Families Council, said this in an interview with MBC Radio's 'Kim Jong-bae's Focus.' Vice Representative Lee emphasized, "We intend to protect the memorial altar in front of City Hall until the very end."

Regarding why the memorial altar must remain in front of Seoul City Hall, Vice Representative Lee explained, "It is so that citizens can recognize the victims who died unjustly, understand why these young people with promising futures had to leave this world so tragically, and to inform the public and hold those responsible accountable."

On the 6th, citizens are paying tribute to the victims at the joint memorial altar for the 1029 Itaewon disaster victims installed in front of Seoul City Hall Plaza. The Itaewon Disaster Citizens' Countermeasures Committee and the Bereaved Families Council set up the altar at Seoul Plaza on the 4th, but Seoul City announced that if the altar is not voluntarily removed by 1 PM on the 6th, administrative enforcement will be carried out. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

Vice Representative Lee criticized the police's behavior during the installation of the memorial altar in front of Seoul City Hall. He pointed out, "When our children were sacrificed, there was not a single police officer present, but now so many police officers have come to pressure us. If even one-tenth of that police force had been present in Itaewon, this disaster would not have happened."

Vice Representative Lee clearly opposed Seoul City's plan to create a memorial space on the 4th basement floor of Noksapyeong Station. He explained, "They are making it so that we cannot move at all and have nowhere to go, forcing us to enter the 4th basement floor of Noksapyeong Station as proposed by Seoul City," adding, "It seems they are also fiercely preventing us from staying in front of City Hall."

Vice Representative Lee said, "Those who have been to the 4th basement floor of Noksapyeong Station know, and common sense tells us, that our victims suffocated and were crushed in the alleys of Itaewon," and added, "I think it is unreasonable to create a memorial space in a deep underground area there."

On the 6th, a citizen is paying tribute to the victims at the joint memorial altar for the 1029 Itaewon disaster victims installed in front of Seoul City Hall Plaza. The Itaewon Disaster Citizens' Countermeasures Committee and the Bereaved Families' Association set up the altar at Seoul Plaza on the 4th, but Seoul City announced that if the altar is not voluntarily removed by 1 PM on the 6th, administrative enforcement will be carried out. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

Vice Representative Lee expressed regret that the court did not accept the injunction request to stop far-right groups from protesting near the citizen memorial altar.

He said, "I was very angry after seeing the dismissal yesterday," and added, "They are holding rallies to harass us, but if this is recognized as secondary harm just because it is freedom of assembly, then secondary harm will continue to occur more frequently in the future."

The bereaved families plan to appeal the court's decision.

Regarding the motion to impeach Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min, Vice Representative Lee said, "We clearly believe that Minister Lee Sang-min should not remain in that position."