Remembering the Victims
Meaning of Remembrance After a Disaster
- · Commemoration is a practice of interpreting the meaning of loss and remembering it collectively. It is an "act of giving meaning to loss"
- · It is an act of consciously and publicly reconstructing the meaning, value and lessons of a disaster by remembering those who lost their lives or the disaster itself.
Remembrance and Recollection
Expressions of Respect and Reverence
Construction of Meaning and Transmission of Lessons
Collective Memory & Communal Solidarity
Importance of Remembering the Victims
Safeguarding the dignity of victims and supporting the healing of bereaved families and survivors by sharing their grief as a society
Preventing similar disasters from recurring by remembering the causes of the disaster and improving relevant laws and systems.
Clearly identifying structural shortcomings and assigning accountability, remaining vigilant against complacency about safety, and upholding social justice
Building a social consensus that places the highest priority on "life and safety" and fosters empathy for the suffering of others
Source: Choi Yeon-woo, Training Materials for the Disaster Relief Psychology Course (2026, National Disaster Management Training Institute)
Memorial Programs
- · Article 67 (Implementation of memorial programs) of the Itaewon Disaster Truth-Finding Act sets out the specific content of memorial programs* and prescribes them as a public responsibility.
- *Memorial parks, memorial halls, memorial monuments, and educational facilities for the prevention of disasters and safety accidents
Current status of the memorial programs
"House of Stars" has been established on the first floor of Jeokseon Hyundai Building near Gyeongbokgung Station so that bereaved families and citizens can commemorate the victims, communicate with one another, and discuss support for bereaved families (10 November 2024)
Memorial facilities installed at the disaster site include three display boards for memorial messages and artwork, ground-level lighting, two information signs, and two stone pavement markers (26 October 2023.)
Note: The honorary road name "October 29 Road of Remembrance and Safety" was designated on 23 October 2023.
The first and second anniversary memorial events in 2023 and 2024 were organized by the bereaved families. The third anniversary memorial events in 2025 were jointly organized by the government and bereaved families,
including a citizens’ memorial gathering on October 25 and an official government memorial ceremony on October 29.