Honoring the Itaewon victims at Jogyesa Temple

“Sleep well, my baby. In the front yard and back yard….”

At 10:00 a.m. on Friday, the 49th day after the Itaewon Halloween disaster, in the front yard of the Daeungjeon Hall of Jogyesa Temple, Jongno-gu, Seoul. Cho Mi Eun, the mother of the victim Lee Ji Han, took the microphone and sang a lullaby to say goodbye to her son.

"I have not yet reported the death of Ji Han. Please pray for him to be born again in the safest country and live happily without any worries,” said Lee, who read a letter to the victims on behalf of the bereaved family. When Mr. Cho burst into tears while reading the letter, sobbing continued throughout the hall.

The Social Welfare Foundation of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism held a ‘memorial service for the victims of the Oct. 29 tragedy (49th)’ to honor the souls of the victims of the Itaewon tragedy. Over 150 bereaved families and 500 Buddhists attended the event in the cold of minus 7 degrees Celsius. Seventy-eight mortuary tablets were placed on the altar with the consent of the bereaved families. Among them, 67 had a portrait. At first, 158 bells, representing the number of victims, were rung, followed by a “transition ceremony” to pray for the souls of the dead to be reborn in a good place.

"(The bereaved families) will work together until those who are responsible sincerely apologize for the sake of Korea’s future and show their determination to prevent such a tragedy from happening again in the future," said Lee Jeong Min, deputy representative of the Association for the Bereaved Families of the October 29 Itaewon Tragedy.


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