Oh Sehoon: "Failed to Consider the Pain of the Bereaved Families"
Criticizes Those Involved and Orders Measures to Prevent Recurrence
Yongsan District's receipt of the 'Local Festival Safety Management Excellence' award sparked controversy, leading the Seoul Metropolitan Government to revoke the award.
On the 27th, the Seoul Metropolitan Government announced, "We regret the excessive publicity by Yongsan District, such as distributing press releases, at a time when the pain of the victims of the Itaewon disaster has not yet healed," and declared the cancellation of the grand prize awarded to Yongsan District.
Heeyoung Park, Mayor of Yongsan District (right), and Jinbae Kim, Director of Safety and Disaster Management of Yongsan District, are taking a commemorative photo after winning the grand prize (first place) at the 2025 Local Festival Safety Management Excellence Competition. Yongsan District
Sehoon Oh, Mayor of Seoul, criticized those involved, stating that "this was an utterly unreasonable act that failed to consider the suffering and pain of the bereaved families." He then explained the circumstances, issued an apology, and instructed measures to prevent recurrence.
Previously, on the 22nd, the Seoul Metropolitan Government had awarded the grand prize to Yongsan District at the 2025 Local Festival Safety Management Excellence Competition. Yongsan District issued a press release, stating that it presented on the topic "Safety Management for Large Crowds in Preparation for Halloween with Yongsan," and explained that its comprehensive safety measures implemented in the Itaewon area during last year's Halloween period received high evaluations.
In response, the 10·29 Itaewon Disaster Bereaved Families Association and the Citizens' Countermeasure Committee issued a statement condemning, "Mayor Sehoon Oh must publicly apologize for the inappropriate award and revoke Yongsan District's prize."
They pointed out, "During the 2022 Itaewon disaster, the Halloween festival was a phenomenon without an organizer, and it was Heeyoung Park, Mayor of Yongsan District, who has consistently denied any responsibility for the disaster on those grounds."
The Seoul Metropolitan Government explained that this competition was intended as a workshop to educate crowd management staff from local districts and share various case studies, aiming to strengthen the capabilities of working-level officials. The city added, "We feel an infinite sense of responsibility for the Itaewon disaster and will do our utmost to prevent such a disaster from ever occurring again anywhere in Seoul."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
