Memorial altar for Itaewon tragedy victims moved to new site

A memorial altar set up for victims of the 2022 Itaewon crowd crush was moved to a new site Sunday from its original location outside Seoul City Hall.

The altar, which commemorates the 159 people killed in a crowd crush in Seoul's Itaewon neighborhood during Halloween weekend in 2022, was relocated to Burim Building near Seoul Plaza after operating on the plaza for 16 months.

The relocation agreement was reached between families of the victims and the Seoul metropolitan government following disputes over the latter's demands for the removal of the altar, which it viewed as an illegal installation.

"Now we plan to launch our fight as we mark a new beginning, not an ending," Lee Jeong-min, a leader of an association of the victims' families, said during the opening ceremony of the new altar. "We must gather our strength for a proper determination of the truth (behind the crowd crush)."

National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik and a number of opposition lawmakers were also in attendance.

Woo offered his comfort to the bereaved family members, saying the National Assembly will do its best to set up an independent special investigation panel that can thoroughly uncover the truth in line with a recently passed bill.