Itaewon marks 2nd anniversary of tragedy amid renewed safety concerns

[Anchor]

Today (10.29) marks the second anniversary of the Itaewon tragedy.

It was a major disaster that claimed the lives of 159 people.

Our reporter is out in the very narrow alley of Itaewon that we all remember.

Shin Hyun-wook, what is the atmosphere like there today?

[Reporter]

Yes, as night falls, people continue to come to remember and pay tribute to the victims of the tragedy.

Behind me, there are many memorial messages, along with chrysanthemums and photos of the victims.

Here are the words of the mourning citizens.

[Lee Sang-min/Seoul Yongsan District: "I hope there will be more attention and support for all those who are suffering and in pain from the tragedy."]

In the nearby Noksapyeong Station square, bereaved families and citizens read memorial messages.

[Yang Jin-young/Volunteer/Reading memorial message: "May you find peace in another world, and I humbly extend my condolences to the bereaved families."]

In the National Assembly, both the ruling and opposition parties expressed their condolences for the victims.

They particularly stated that they would actively support the investigation by the special investigation committee.

[Anchor]

How is it?

The scenery there must be quite different from two years ago, right?

[Reporter]

Yes, looking around me, the scene is relatively orderly.

Merchants have also removed their signboards and lowered the music to cooperate with safety management.

As of 9 PM, the population density in Itaewon is in a 'comfortable' state.

[Bae Kwang-jae/Seoul Itaewon Merchant: "We initially set up chairs for business, but we have removed all of that. We had boxes on the street, but those have also been cleared away."]

Many people gathered last Friday and over the weekend, but no dangerous situations were observed.

However, there were some alarming situations that made me wonder if people have already forgotten the tragedy.

Earlier, a festival in Dong-gu, Gwangju, was suddenly halted due to a crowd surge, revealing that the event with over 500 attendees had not established a mandatory safety management plan.

A previous event in Seongsu-dong was also abruptly stopped due to a sudden influx of people.

[Anchor]

There are still a few days left until Halloween, right?

It seems that safety management needs to continue a bit longer?

What do you think?

[Reporter]

Yes, until Halloween day, which is the day after tomorrow (10.31), the police plan to strengthen patrols in key areas.

In particular, they will prohibit the wearing of police uniforms or equipment that could cause confusion in the event of an accident and will focus on strict enforcement.

With the revision of the Disaster and Safety Act, from this year, local governments must establish safety management plans for events without organizers.

The Seoul city government plans to continue crowd management in 15 key areas, including Itaewon, Hongdae, and Seongsu, until Nov. 3.

This has been Shin Hyun-wook reporting from Itaewon for KBS News.