South Korea marks four years since Itaewon crowd crush - NHKニュース

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has pledged to take steps to prevent a recurrence of the fatal crowd crush in Seoul four years ago and to leave no unresolved suspicions.

On October 29, 2022, crowds of mostly young Halloween partygoers surged into a narrow alley in the Itaewon nightlife district. A total of 160 people died, including two Japanese women.

On Thursday, about 1,000 people, including victims' families, attended a memorial event organized by the government and others in central Seoul.

Lee promised to uncover the truth "until not a single suspicion remains," and ensure that the truth leads to preventing a recurrence.

He stressed that a special investigative commission of experts has been tasked with determining the cause of the accident.

The commission said in its interim report released on Tuesday that although there had been numerous warnings of the potential danger of surging crowds, the police and rescue teams were slow to respond.

Kozuchi An from Kawaguchi City, near Tokyo, was 18 years old and studying at a university in Seoul. Her father said on Wednesday in Seoul that no matter how many years may pass, he can never accept the fact that his daughter is gone, and his desire to see her only grows stronger.

He expressed hope that such a tragedy will never happen again.