Seoul: The bereaved families of 26 foreign victims from a tragic crowd accident in Seoul in 2022 will visit South Korea this week to mark its third anniversary, the bereaved families group announced Friday. The incident, which occurred during Halloween festivities in a narrow alley of Itaewon on October 29, 2022, claimed the lives of 159 people, including victims from 14 countries.
According to Yonhap News Agency, a total of 46 bereaved family members representing 21 out of the 26 foreign victims will arrive in Seoul for a seven-day visit. The visit comes at the official invitation of the Korean government and includes families from 12 different countries: Iran, Russia, the United States, Australia, China, Japan, France, Austria, Norway, Sri Lanka, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan.
Most of the foreign families are expected to enter South Korea on Friday. Their official schedule will commence with a visit to the site of the disaster near Exit 1 of Itaewon Station at 1 p.m. Saturday. The visit is part of a series of commemorative events planned to honor the victims.
In addition to visiting the site, the families will participate in the disaster's third-anniversary memorial service and meet with Korean bereaved families, fostering solidarity and shared remembrance of the tragic event.