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South Korea has entered a period of mourning due to the Itaewon tragedy that took place on October 29. Many K-pop events such as halloween parties and tv show appearances have been postponed as a sign of respect for the victims and families of those who have suffered.
On October 29, 2022, Seoul was busy celebrating Halloween after experiencing strict restrictions for the past two years due to Covid-19. Over 100,000 people had gathered in Itaewon, a well-known party district, to celebrate the spooky festival. Things turned awry due to poor crowd control and the lack of police officers to manage citizens in the area. Eventually, a crowd crush occured.
More than 150 people, including foreign nationals, have died due to the overcrowding surge in the Itaewon tragedy and over 140 people have been injured and hospitalized. Countless families are still unable to reach out to their loved ones who were last seen in Itaewon. To mourn the lives lost, the South Korean government announced a national period of mourning until November 5.
In keeping with this directive, many K-pop idols and broadcast stations have postponed and even canceled their tours, fan meetings, shows, broadcast programs, and much more. The following are some of the events that have been canceled in light of the Itaewon tragedy.
K-pop events that were canceled and postponed due to the Itaewon tragedy: Fan meetings, comebacks, and more
1) SM Entertainment's Halloween Party - Canceled
2) ABYSS Company Ghost Talk event - Canceled
3) 2022 Busan One Asia Festival K-pop Concert - Canceled
4) THE BOYZ's schedule for October 31 - Canceled
5) TO1's appearance on SBS' Love FM - Canceled
6) SF9 Dawon's Halloween event - Canceled
7) INFINTE Sungjong's first fan meeting in 13 years in Seoul - Canceled
8) TXT's Eternally Dance Practice (Halloween themed video) - Canceled
9) Running Man episode with BTS' Jin - Postponed
10) NMIXX's fansign - Postponed
11) DKZ's fansign - Postponed
12) KINGDOM's fansign - Postponed
13) BTS Jin's The Astronaut comeback schedule - Postponed
14) ENHYPEN's week-long content - Postponed
15) TXT's week-long content - Postponed
16) EXO Chen's third mini album release - Postponed
17) DRIPPIN's album release - Postponed
18) ICHILLIN's digital single release - Postponed
19) Xdinary Heroes' second mini album release - Postponed
20) B.I's comeback - Postponed
The Itaewon tragedy explained
The narrow alleyway outside exit 2 of the Itaewon subway station, which is surrounded by a number of bars and clubs, got clogged by tens and thousands of partygoers out to celebrate Halloween. It became difficult to move or breathe in such a constricted space and this led to the beginning of a crowd crush.
Although investigations are still ongoing and there is no proper explanation of how such a situation occurred, many believe that poor crowd control by officials was the major reason for the mishap that led to the loss of hundreds of lives.
The Itaewon tragedy left survivors and onlookers traumatized. Many have survived the incident but are severely injured. A student from Mexico who was safely rescued from the crowd crush was diagnosed with rhabdomylosis, which is a serious muscle injury. As per her narrative to The Washington Post, her legs are still swollen and purple due to the crush. She also mentioned the feeling of almost giving up on life because of a severe sense of breathlessness.
A high-school student narrated her experience to The New York Times. She and her group of friends arrived pretty late to the Itaewon area and gave up on entering as the place was overcrowded, however, they found themselves unable to move in the opposite direction as well.
She heard a group of men yell "push push" and saw people falling down, slipping, and hurting themselves right in front of her. They screamed for help but their screams were drowned out by the loud music coming from the bars and clubs.
The Itaewon tragedy is one of the deadliest accidents to happen in recent times in South Korea. The devestation and loss of life caused by the Itaewon tragedy is being compared to the Sewol ferry tragedy that shook South Korea.
The people of South Korea have prepared a makeshift memorial in Itaewon to commemorate the lives lost in this tragic accident.
This goes on to show how essential an effective law and order system is to manage large crowds, especially during festivities.
