"The reason we have gathered today is not simply to repeat our sorrow. It is to deeply engrave the names of the 160 victims who left us in such heartbreak, and to reaffirm our promise to faithfully stand by the remaining bereaved families and survivors."

Lee Jung-min, steering committee chairman of the 10.29 Itaewon Disaster Bereaved Families Association, opened the event with these words during the "Itaewon Disaster 4th Anniversary Laying of Flowers and Memorial Prayer Meeting" held on the afternoon of the 24th.

Citizens and bereaved families wearing purple jumpers and purple butterfly-shaped brooches gathered in front of Exit 1 of Itaewon Station, the site of the tragedy, to share a solemn time of laying flowers and remembrance.

This 4th-anniversary memorial event was attended by 35 family members of 18 foreign victims who visited South Korea upon official government invitation for the second consecutive year, following last year.

Beneath cloudy skies, citizens shed tears as they placed the prepared white chrysanthemums under a bulletin board set up in the "Road of Remembrance and Safety" alley in front of Itaewon Station Exit 1, followed by a moment of silence. Some lingered for a long time, gazing intently at Post-it notes containing messages of remembrance.

Following the laying of flowers, prayer meetings were held by four religious denominations: Buddhism, Protestantism, Won Buddhism, and Catholicism. A bereaved family member who is an Islamic believer also recited verses from the Quran.

After the prayer meeting concluded that day, the bereaved families and citizens planned to march from Itaewon Station, passing through Seoul Station, and onward to Seoul Plaza.

After completing the march, they will attend the 4th anniversary citizens' memorial ceremony for the Itaewon Disaster, titled "Toward the Truth Through the Light of the Stars," co-hosted by the Bereaved Families Association, the Citizens' Countermeasures Committee, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, and the Seoul Metropolitan Government at Seoul Plaza at 5:30 p.m. that day.

Prior to the citizens' memorial ceremony, information spaces themed around the remembrance and memory of the Itaewon disaster, disaster tragedies, and life safety were set up at Seoul Plaza. These include a booth raising awareness about the enforcement decree of the Basic Act on Life Safety and a booth where people can leave memorial messages, such as "Pumpkin Lanterns Remembering Itaewon."

The 10.29 Itaewon Disaster Bereaved Families Association and the Citizens' Countermeasures Committee expressed their anticipation, stating, "We hope many citizens will participate in this 4th-anniversary memorial event with the sentiment of standing together with the bereaved families and survivors as they take another step toward uncovering the truth."

[ⓒ Global Economic Times. 무단전재-재배포 금지]