I was in town last week and came upon a Halloween parade going down Main Street. Kids and adults in costumes, junior high marching band, floats. It looked like fun. But that wasn’t my initial reaction. When I saw the street light glinting off painted faces and glittering clothes, bunny ears waving, tails trailing, I thought of Itaewon.
Today is October 31st, Halloween on my calendar.
A year ago I was in Korea, and I remember waking up on Sunday morning, October 30th, and seeing the headlines on my phone. Itaewon Halloween party turned tragedy, almost 160 young lives lost in a crowd crush. I had the opportunity to visit the site exactly one week later. I wasn’t sure what I would do, but I knew I needed to go.
I brought my violin with the hope of expressing my condolences in a genuine way, and a way that would bring comfort.
I still wish I could somehow comfort grieving families and traumatized survivors. My prayers are with them today.
I’d like to share my last year’s substack with you:
Music in Death Alley: Itaewon, Seoul
It’s Saturday night but the popular streets of Itaewon near the Hamilton Hotel are deserted: bars and nightclubs are empty, chairs stacked outside, stools upside down on the tables. Strings of lights over one street slowly change from purple to blue, green, yellow, pink, red, and back to purple again. The festiv…
Here, too, is the story of young Koreans who wanted to give comfort and grieve alongside strangers: The Grief of Itaewon.