Christian and Buddhist leaders spoke on stage, demanding that President Yoon Suk-yeol step down and asking how the country could mourn without knowing the truth behind the deaths. People of all ages, including foreign nationals, were present holding signs that read: “The world is dying, you call it a country?” and “Your resignation is our grief.” A separate vigil was held nearby by progressive youth groups, chanting: “This could have been prevented, the state was not there. They could have been saved, Yoon Suk-yeol took responsibility.” The victims, mostly young people, were among an estimated 100,000 who flocked to the popular Itaewon nightlife district to celebrate the first Halloween since the pandemic. South Korean law enforcement officials admitted there was insufficient security planning, and opposition politicians accused the government of failing to take responsibility for the disaster. Reflecting that anger, a woman identified by local media as the mother of one of the victims was seen tearing up floral wreaths left by the president and Seoul’s mayor at a memorial service on Friday. “What is the point [these flowers] when they could not protect [our children]? Think about it,” he appeared to say in footage broadcast by local television stations. “What’s the point of standing next to them [wreaths] when you let our babies die?’ Uniformed police appeared to escort the woman away from the memorial, which is located outside Seoul’s city hall. On Friday, Yoon expressed his “deep sorrow and heartfelt apology,” falling short of an immediate apology demanded by many of his critics. “I know that our government and I … have a huge responsibility to ensure that such a tragedy never happens again,” he said. Yoon – who is a member of the conservative People Power party – has struggled with low approval ratings since taking office in May, and his political opponents are now targeting his government for the Halloween crash. A citizens’ group affiliated with the main opposition party was to hold candlelight vigils across the country on Saturday afternoon, including in Seoul, Busan, Gwangju and Jeju. A man holds a placard during a candlelight vigil in Seoul. Photo: Kim Hong-Ji/Reuters A group of young Koreans were expected to hold a special memorial event in downtown Seoul. “I can’t believe that people my age died just because they wanted to have fun on Halloween,” said Park Tae-hoon, 29, one of the organizers of that rally and a member of the progressive Jinbo political party. “Just yesterday the president apologized,” he said, adding that the purpose of the march was to demand punishment for those responsible and measures to prevent a repeat of the tragedy. South Korea is in a period of national mourning that ends on Saturday, with flags flying at half-mast and entertainment events cancelled. Public scrutiny of how the Halloween crowd was managed is mounting, and a wide-ranging investigation is underway into the cause of the crash. With no organizers for the Halloween celebrations, the government has not asked any of the bars, clubs and restaurants – some located in Itaewon’s narrow alleyways and side streets – to submit a safety management plan. Although police had estimated a crowd of 100,000 in advance, they deployed 137 officers – compared to the 6,500 sent to another part of Seoul that night for a much smaller anti-government protest.
