Counseling center opens for Itaewon residents, merchants

The Yongsan District Office said Tuesday that it would operate a Korean-language counseling center in February to assist people who are suffering from trauma after the Itaewon disaster.

The center will provide mental and psychological evaluations, counseling and additional group sessions if necessary. Every Wednesday, a psychiatrist from Soonchunhyang University Seoul Hospital will visit to provide counseling sessions.

"Merchants and residents near Itaewon are being hit hard by the depression caused by the disaster and the slump in the commercial district," the acting Yongsan-gu Mayor Kim Sun-soo said, adding that the district will work with the Ministry of SMEs and Startups and the Seoul Metropolitan Government to create various measures addressing the situation.

The counseling center is located on the third floor of the Itaewon Special Tourist Zone Public Relations building, on Itaewon-ro near the alley where the disaster occurred. The center is open from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays.