Today (22nd), the first Lunar New Year after the Itaewon disaster, civil society organizations and bereaved family groups held a joint memorial service in memory of the deceased.
The Citizens' Countermeasures Meeting for the Itaewon Tragedy held a joint memorial service in front of the portraits of the victims at 3:00 p.m.
As most of the victims were in their 20s and 30s, the bereaved families prepared snacks, pizza, beer, beef jerky, cafe drinks, and ribs that the victims loved during their lifetime.
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Starting with the memorial prayers of the four major sects of Won Buddhism, Catholicism, Christianity, and Buddhism, the bereaved family delivered memorial addresses.
Lee Jong-cheol, representative of the Itaewon Disaster Families Council, said, "In previous years, it would have been a fun time to talk about daily life with my family, but I couldn't, and I won't be able to in the future."
Lee Jung-min, vice president of the council, wept and said, "Unless the children's injustice is revealed, living is not living. We do this to live."
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The bereaved family filled their glasses in turn and bowed.
As many bereaved families sobbed, the incense burner quickly became a sea of tears.
The 4/16 Sewol Ferry Disaster Families Association and the 4/16 Regiment held a joint memorial service at the Sewol Memorial Hall in front of the Seoul City Council around 4:15 p.m. today to pay tribute to the victims.
Celebrating the ninth Lunar New Year celebration after the Sewol ferry disaster, they set up an ancestral table in a dark memory space where the lights were turned off due to the city council's power outage.
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(Photo = Yonhap News)