Shops in Itaewon closed for 3 days as Seoul mourns Halloween victims
Restaurants and cafes in Seoul’s Itaewon area will stay closed for three days to mourn the over 150 people who died in a fatal stampede on Saturday night, a police officer said on Sunday.
“Some stores have already stopped operations. Whether the temporary closure is extended depends on how the situation unfolds,” a police officer told Korea Herald on condition of anonymity.
The closures are voluntary and some businesses are operating as usual.
On Saturday night, at least 151 people died in a crush as a Halloween crowd rushed into a narrow alleyway near the neighbourhood’s landmark Hamilton Hotel. Officials say most of the victims were young adults in their 20s.
As of noon Sunday, many stores not located near the site of the tragedy have also temporarily closed as a gesture of respect.
Park, 41, who runs a coffee shop on the other side of the district where the stampede occurred, said “there has been no disaster like this in the neighbourhood over the past few years. My store is closed today".
The Korea Herald
Asia News Network
