LETTER FROM SEOUL

It's been a year since a violent stampede killed 159 of the 100,000 young people who had turned out to celebrate Halloween in the Itaewon district of South Korea's capital city, Seoul. On Tuesday, October 31, the boisterous district, which is criss-crossed by alleys bombarded with blaring K-pop and multicolored neon lights, still bore the signs of a tragedy that has continued to divide South Korean society.

The bars and restaurants were open and the mild fall weather was inviting, but there were no Halloween decorations anywhere to be seen. The weekend had been somewhat lively, with hundreds of costumed revelers. Law enforcement was present and City of Seoul volunteers in yellow vests kept traffic moving smoothly. Not that there was much for them to do: "People have flocked to Hongdae to celebrate Halloween," said one volunteer, referring to the lively student district a little further west in Seoul. "I wonder if Itaewon will ever get back to the carefree days before the tragedy."

Physical reminders of the tragedy of October 29, 2022, remain ever-present in Itaewon. A small memorial outlined in bright lights has been set up in the alleyway that saw the greatest number of victims. The walls are still covered with small multicolored messages expressing the pain of the survivors and their loved ones.

It's a pain that's been difficult to surmount. Since the disaster, Kim Tcho-rong, author of "Am I a Survivor?", has been living a daily hell. She feels as though she's about to be attacked by objects, and crowded streets terrify her: "I feel like I've lost all sense of normalcy." Dong Eun-jin, for her part, only gets around now by cab or car, after suffering a violent anxiety attack while taking the subway. "That had never happened to [her] before."

At the same time, the debate that continues to divide the political class over who is to blame for the tragedy has done nothing to alleviate their suffering. Regions are now obliged to propose plans in advance for improving the safety of festivals and other public events. By 2027, they must each have a crisis management center operating around the clock and must have swapped their surveillance cameras for models equipped with artificial intelligence systems capable of monitoring crowd movements.

But those responsible have yet to be tried and convicted. Investigations are still officially ongoing for dozens of officials accused of negligence, starting with Lee Im-jae, the former police chief of Yongsan, the borough where Itaewon is located. The district mayor, Park Hee-young, was released on bail in June after five months in detention as part of the investigation into the stampede and resumed her duties while playing down any responsibility for the tragedy.

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