Four years after Itaewon tragedy, crowd rules tighten but delayed trauma goes unaddressed

Four years after the Itaewon tragedy, Korea has tightened its rules for managing crowds. But help for people with lasting trauma and safety at events that draw far bigger crowds than expected remain unfinished business.

The crush killed 159 people in the Itaewon nightlife district in Yongsan District, central Seoul, on Oct. 29, 2022. The official toll rose to 160 in June this year, when the government recognized the later death of a local merchant who had helped with the rescue as linked to the disaster.

People have commemorated the disaster in many ways, including a memorial event for the fourth anniversary at Seoul Plaza in Jung District, central Seoul, on Saturday. The government, for its part, has set up a body to investigate the disaster and steadily tightened crowd safety rules so that people can enjoy street events again.

In December 2023, the National Assembly passed a revision to the Framework Act on the Management of Disasters and Safety. Under the revision, a local festival expected to draw 1,000 or more people at its peak needs a safety management plan from the local government head, even when there is no clear organizer.

The National Police Agency added “crowd management” as a category for 112 emergency calls in September last year, so officers can respond quickly when large crowds gather suddenly.

Help for psychological wounds that surface or worsen over time, however, has fallen short. A legal basis for the state to track victims’ physical and mental aftereffects was put in place in May. But it doesn't reach everyone who may need it.

In April, a man surnamed Baek, who ran a restaurant near the site at the time of the crush, died by suicide. Two firefighters who were dispatched to the scene died last year. All three were known to have suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other psychological distress.

“I think my son struggled even more as business in the area slumped and the people around him left after the disaster,” Baek’s father told the JoongAng Ilbo. “To get state support, you need documents proving that you witnessed the scene or what you did there. But the merchants in the area scattered after the disaster, so many people had trouble securing them. Access to psychological counseling should have been improved from the start, and measures should have been in place so that treatment could continue for a long time.”

The bereaved families say the damage has reached their livelihoods too.

“Most bereaved family members who ran their own businesses gave them up after the disaster because dealing with people and keeping their composure became too hard,” Lee Jung-min, head of the bereaved families’ association for the Oct. 29 Itaewon disaster, said.

“Some are fine most of the time but struggle so much every October that they can hardly carry on with daily life, so the state must actively seek out victims suffering from delayed PTSD.”

As the damage from the disaster drags on, the safety system meant to prevent another crowd crush still has gaps. Concerns about crowd crushes persist, yet the expected size of an event is still left to organizers’ own estimates.

The Pokémon Mega Festa in Seongdong District, eastern Seoul, drew about 40,000 people in May, more than expected, and was halted on its first day. The Seongdong Police Station usually receives around 10 crowd-related reports a month, but it received 82 in May because of the event.

At the Lovesome Festival at Yonsei University in April, 23 people received first aid on site after waiting crowds surged forward at once.

“Events expected to draw 1,000 people or more must draw up a safety management plan and have it reviewed, but the higher an organizer puts the expected turnout, the heavier the management burden becomes,” Lee Young-ju, a professor of fire and disaster prevention at Kyungil University, said. “So organizers may lowball the figure and take a passive approach. When reviewing a safety management plan, it is important to examine closely what the expected turnout is based on.”

Some experts call for penalties when the turnout reported before an event turns out to be far below the actual count.

“The police and fire authorities are there to respond to emergencies such as unexpected crowding,” Ryu Sang-il, a professor of fire and disaster administration at Dong-eui University, said. “Since primary responsibility for preventing accidents lies with the local government that approved the event, it should closely review safety measures from the application stage and check the actual turnout after the event ends.”

BY NOH YU-RIM, CHOI HYE-RI, KWAK JOO-YOUNG [[email protected]]