A memorial standing near the bottom of the sloped alley in central Seoul’s Itaewon has started showing signs of wear or possibly vandalism, less than three months after its installation last year.
A bilingual message inscribed on the structure, which commemorates the tragic crowd disaster that claimed 159 lives on Oct. 29, 2022, is barely readable anymore as the letters have started to disappear.
The memorial pedestal, standing about a meter tall, has a mirrored top surface with white letters displaying the fading commemorative message. The surface is already showing scratches, caused likely by either oblivious passersby or deliberately. It was one of many structures placed there last October in time for the one-year anniversary of the tragedy, with installation costs covered by the district office.
“It is utterly disgusting that this cheap piece of crap is the plinth at the entrance to the alley where so many innocent young people died,” said a British national who first noticed the damage on Jan. 11.
The Yongsan District Office, which installed the memorial in cooperation with a civic group representing the bereaved families, has discussed the memorial’s poor condition at meetings, but no action has been taken yet.
“We are very cautious about the situation and won’t make any decisions without involving the family members,” a district official said.
The official claimed that the family members have been difficult to contact due to their involvement in the ongoing rally, and representatives of the members who were contacted were also unwilling to make a decision on their own.
A memorial stands near the entrance to the October 29 Memorial Alley in central Seoul’s Itaewon, Tuesday. To its left is a sign asking for people to treat this “temporary” memorial site with respect. To the left of that is a container for food waste. Korea Times photo by Jon Dunbar
“Restoration of the structure would require its full removal from the site for five to seven days … this is just what would be needed to restore it to its original condition,” the official said. But the district office believes the memorial will require fundamental changes, such as structural and material improvements, to prevent the damage from reappearing after another couple of months.
The official said it is difficult to determine whether the damage was deliberate, but shared a personal opinion suggesting suspicion, particularly noting that some of the words appear to have been deliberately erased.
A representative of the civic group disagreed with the notion that the damage could have been an act of vandalism. “The installation is situated in an area where local residents and businesses leave their trash for collection,” she said, suggesting that the damage may be a natural consequence of its location and exposure over time.
The representative confirmed that the civic group has been discussing the issue with the district office and expressed hope that the memorial will be repaired promptly.
The district official added that both sides have agreed to discuss the condition of the memorial next month.
But for some members of the local community, the restoration of the memorial is already taking too long, and leaving it in that state fails to show proper respect.
“It needs to be replaced with something more dignified and fitting to mark that disastrous, horrible night,” the British national said.
