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The New York Times: South Korea has seen the lack of accountability and systemic change following a tragic crowd crush incident that killed 159 people last Halloween. The event took place in a narrow alley in Seoul’s Itaewon neighborhood, where huge crowds gathered without adequate police control. The South Korean government has largely distanced itself from the disaster, blaming local police and officials for the mishandling and refusing to take responsibility for public safety. As another Halloween approaches, little has been done to prevent such an event from recurring.
Some precautions, like increased surveillance and deploying more officers, are being put in place. However, families of the victims argue that the root cause of the disaster remains unaddressed: a bureaucracy that fails to prioritize public safety. They also highlight the government’s refusal to acknowledge the event as a “disaster” and its failure to make any high-ranking officials accountable. Bills aimed at ensuring government responsibility for public safety in large gatherings have not yet passed the National Assembly.
South Korea has a history of human-caused disasters and lacks enough official commitment to prevent them. The families and experts argue that unless top-level officials are held accountable and structural changes are made, similar calamities are likely to happen again.
The entire article can be read at the link https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/21/world/asia/itaewon-halloween-crush.html
