Candlelight vigils as South Korea mourns Halloween disaster vctims

Candlelight vigils and rallies were held in South Korea on Saturday to commemorate the 156 people killed in a Halloween crowd crush, with public anger growing over one of the country’s deadliest peacetime disasters.

The victims, mostly young people, were among the estimated 100,000 that had flocked to the capital Seoul’s popular Itaewon nightlife district to celebrate the first post-pandemic Halloween.

Thousands gathered in central Seoul at a candlelight vigil organised by a civic group linked to South Korea’s main opposition party, with many holding signs that said, “Step down, Yoon Suk-yeol.”