What Happened
On October 31,2022 over 10,000 young people were gathered in Itaewon district in Seoul, South Korea a popular area for young people known for having a vibrant and exciting nightlife. There were halloween parties and events all around the district when during nightime hundreds of young people began to gather in alleys behind restaurants and clubs leading to the death of over 156 people and more than 173 more people were injured. The reason for the countless is due to a phenomena known as crowd surges now one reason that people die is simply due to being trampled and stepped on by so many people yet this only accounts for a very small number of the total deaths from the crowd surge. The true culprit of the large number of fatalities is that many people die to the pressure of so many people on top of each other something as simple as drawing breath becomes impossible. People die standing up and those who fall die because the bodies on top of them exert such pressure that breathing becomes impossible. Due to their people being on top and below each other everywhere in these crowd surges there is barely any room, and lungs need to be able to expand to allow oxygen into one’s body. This brings forward also the fatalities at the Astroworld festival(2021), E2 Nightclub in Chicago(2003), and the 1988 Dasharath Stadium stampede(1998). During the trgedy in South Korea we also see many storeowners in Itaewon trying to help the young people as well to mixed sucess. A strore owner in Itaewon said “We tried to rescue them, but our club was at the end of the surge and there were already three or four layers of people piled on, so we couldn’t” . There is another owner who spoke of the fact that even the people that he did help they appeared very dazed and struggling to breath due to what they had gone through.
Aftermath
After the tragedy there was public outrage from both the public and the international community. Most international leaders spoke of their condolences and feelings of sadness for the people of South Korea with Xi Xingping of China sending his condolences to Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol. Yet we are also able to see a reaction of pure anger against the government and police of South Korea. Several prominent Korean leaders have admitted that the tragedy was due to their failure as leaders. National police chief Yoon Hee Keun said an initial investigation found there were many urgent calls from citizens notifying authorities about the potential danger of the crowd gathering in Itaewon. He said police officers who received the calls failed to handle them effectively. After the Itaewon disaster, police launched a 475-member task force to find its cause. Senior police officer Nam Gu-Jun told reporters Monday that officers have obtained videos taken by about 50 security cameras in the area and were analyzing video clips posted on social media. Nam said police had also interviewed more than 40 witnesses and survivors so far. Other leaders who have publically apologized include President Yoon Suk Yeol, Internor Minister Lee Sang-min, and Seoul Mayor Oh Se-Hoon.
We are able to see the very public and outraged people of South Korea with President Yoon Suk-Yeol continuing to apologize and try to bring to justice the people responsible for the crowd surging and lack of control of the situation.”In particular, extensive reform is needed in the police work, which is essential to preparing for danger and preventing accidents, in order to protect the safety of the people,” Yoon said. Yet these statements have not stopped the opposition party and people of South Korea from protesting and calling for several government leaders to leave the government.”Step down, Yoon Suk-yeol’s government! Step down, Yoon Suk-yeol’s government!” the crowd chanted, waving their candles and placards. Besides the general anger that has come from the people of South Korea we are also able to see general sadness and despair in the nation with several Candlelight vigils taking across Seoul calling for justice and to remember those that died. The tragedy also caused the deaths of 19 foreigners who were visiting South Korea for the celebrations.
This is a CIMA Law Group blog entry. CIMA Law Group is located in Arizona and specializes in Immigration Law, Criminal Defense, Personal Injury, and Government Relations. If you live in Arizona and need legal assistance CIMA Law Group can help.
CIMA Law Group Blog 