<Anchor>
Today, December 16th, marks the 49th day since the Itaewon disaster.
This evening, a memorial service is being held in the Itaewon area to honor the souls of the 158 victims.
Let's go to the scene first.
Reporter Park Se-won, it's quite cold today. Is the memorial service still going on?
<Reporter>
On the 49th of the Itaewon disaster, the civil memorial service began at 6pm on the stage behind me.
The stage was installed on the road in front of Exit 1 of Itaewon Station, close to the site of the disaster.
Many bereaved families and citizens are seated.
Religious ceremonies honoring the victims were followed by memorial performances.
A memorial video with photos and names of the victims was also shown.
The bereaved families prayed for the rest of their lives by reading letters telling their sons and daughters what they had not been able to tell.
[Lee Jong-cheol/Representative of Itaewon Disaster Families Council: We have gathered here in Itaewon to share the last day of our good souls.
After today, our sons and daughters will live in a new, better world...
.]
<Anchor>
From this morning, before the start of the memorial service, memorial events continued around Itaewon and elsewhere.
<Reporter> The
memorial wave continued from the morning.
[Han Ji-hye/Seocho-gu, Seoul: (Here) was also a street where everyone passed by, and many friends my age became victims...
.]
A memorial service was held at Jogyesa Temple in Seoul to pray for the souls of the deceased, and the Korean Religious Leaders Association also held a memorial service at Itaewon Plaza.
Citizens expressed their remembrance by visiting the citizen incense burner set up in Itaewon Square or in front of the alley of the disaster.
The citizens' incense burner in Daejeon was also visited by people throughout the day.
Even after today's memorial service, the Citizen's Incense Center will remain open for the time being.
(Video coverage: Yoon Hyung, video editing: Park Chun-bae)