Deadline for demolition set at 1 PM today... Administrative enforcement planned
Itaewon bereaved families "We will protect the Seoul Plaza memorial altar"
[Asia Economy Reporter Yoon Seul-gi] Tensions are rising ahead of the self-removal deadline for the Seoul Plaza memorial altar, set for 1 p.m. on the 15th. The bereaved families of the Itaewon tragedy installed a memorial altar at Seoul Plaza, but the Seoul Metropolitan Government demanded its voluntary removal, citing it as an illegal facility. The city has notified that it will forcibly remove the altar if the deadline is missed, raising concerns about potential clashes with the families.
The 10·29 Itaewon Tragedy Bereaved Families Association and the Citizens' Countermeasure Committee consolidated the memorial altar at Seoul Plaza after closing the Noksapyeong Station altar on the 14th, one day before the city's removal deadline. On that day, the bereaved families held a press conference at the Noksapyeong Station altar, stating, "We intend to firmly protect the Seoul Plaza memorial altar, which was established to fully commemorate the 159 victims."
On the afternoon of the 14th, a press conference on the relocation and integration of the Noksapyeong Station memorial altar was held at the 10·29 Itaewon disaster victims' citizen memorial altar set up at Noksapyeong Station Plaza in Yongsan-gu, Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News
This is interpreted as the bereaved families expressing their intention not to dismantle the Seoul Plaza memorial altar. Earlier, on the 4th, the families held the "100 Days National Memorial Rally" and, while marching from Noksapyeong Station to Sejong-daero, they suddenly installed the memorial altar at Seoul Plaza. In response, the city designated the altar as an illegal facility, announced administrative enforcement, and is currently in conflict with the bereaved families.
The city and the bereaved families have also engaged in disputes over communication issues. The city stated that it had been reviewing the installation of memorial spaces, including the fourth basement floor of Noksapyeong Station, together with the families, but the families refuted this, saying it was not true. On the 7th, the association issued a statement saying, "The Seoul Metropolitan Government's announcement today that it has been continuously consulting with us is not true," adding, "There were only unilateral requests for meetings, and aside from the three private buildings proposed on December 21 last year, there were no additional proposals or consultations regarding memorial or communication spaces."
In particular, the bereaved families raised issues with the city's unilateral communication approach. The association said, "The request to install a memorial altar at Sejongno Park was immediately rejected and suddenly proposed elsewhere," and added, "If giving the fourth basement floor of Noksapyeong Station and saying 'take it or leave it' is called consultation, then further communication is impossible."
Currently, the bereaved families have stopped direct communication with the city, claiming that Seoul Metropolitan Government refused face-to-face talks. On the 14th, Lee Jong-cheol, the association representative, said at a press conference, "The Yongsan District Mayor has been arrested, and the Seoul Metropolitan Police Chief is under investigation, but only the Seoul Metropolitan Government is not being investigated. The city is responsible for the deaths of the children. We will no longer talk with such people."
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