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#trending: Netizens condemn partygoers filmed dancing, cheering near ambulances after fatal Seoul crowd crush

SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA — A viral Twitter video showing a group of revellers partying next to emergency vehicles that were responding to a fatal crowd crush in Seoul has drawn widespread condemnation from online users in South Korea and around the world.

A crowd of revellers were filmed partying next to emergency vehicles that were responding to a fatal crowd crush in the Itaewon district of Seoul, South Korea.

A crowd of revellers were filmed partying next to emergency vehicles that were responding to a fatal crowd crush in the Itaewon district of Seoul, South Korea.

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  • A video showing a group of revellers partying next to emergency vehicles after the fatal crowd crush in Itaewon, Seoul has drawn widespread condemnation 
  • Reports alleged that the partygoers continued dancing an hour after the tragic incident occurred and blocked emergency personnel from approaching the scene
  • Singaporean Koh Ming En, 25, recounted how he narrowly escaped being trapped in the crowd crush
  • Waikiki Beach Pub, a well-known club in Itaewon, is being flamed online for allegedly forcing people, who climbed onto its terrace to escape, to go back into the crowd

SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA — A viral Twitter video showing a group of revellers partying next to emergency vehicles that were responding to fatal crowd crush in Seoul has drawn widespread condemnation from online users in South Korea and around the world.

Several reports and posts on social media alleged that the party-goers in Seoul's popular Itaewon district continued dancing an hour after the tragic incident occurred on Saturday (Oct 29) and reportedly blocked rescuers and police officers from approaching the scene.

In a short clip that has been widely shared on social media, a rowdy crowd can be seen dancing to the sound of sirens and shouting “sex on the beach” just metres away from where emergency crew were frantically administering aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) to the severely injured.

Witnesses also said that desperate pleas by the police for the crowd to disperse were met with the response by some: “Then where are we going to party?”

The video has sparked outrage among social media users not only in South Korea but around the world.

One Korean Twitter user wrote: “Are people crazy?... No matter how drunk you are, this is simply unacceptable.”

Another person said: “People can’t breathe and are dying. The sound of their pained cries against the blasting music. The people who are singing and dancing in front of them are just inhumane.”

A tweet from the Philippines read: “How sick (can) humans be?... They are still blasting loud music knowing the chaos going on outside? Truly horrible.”

Another user commented: “Humanity is really lost."

At least 154 people were killed and 132 others injured in the deadly crowd crush that took place at a Halloween celebration. Twenty-two of the fatalities were foreigners including nationals from Australia, China, Iran, Norway and Uzbekistan.

As many as 100,000 Halloween and weekend partygoers, mostly in their teens and 20s, had poured into the narrow, winding streets of the popular nightlife area known for its trendy bars, clubs and restaurants. 

SINGAPOREAN NARROWLY ESCAPES CROWD CRUSH

A Singaporean, videographer Koh Ming En, 25, was one of those who escaped the deadly crush relatively unscathed.

Recounting his experience to TODAY, Mr Koh said that he and two friends had just arrived in Seoul earlier that day and were in Itaewon to experience the Halloween festivities.

As they followed the crowd into an alley, they quickly realised that people were dangerously pushing in both directions and decided to find a way out. However, Mr Koh ended up being separated from his friends during the chaos.

“I was near the slope where the stampede was happening and I couldn't get out. I was pushed to the wall and there wasn't much space to move around. The crowd at the front was desperately asking everyone to move back,” he said.

“I thought to myself that if I don't do something, I would probably get crushed, faint and possibly die.”

Desperate to save himself, he climbed onto a ledge that was part of the balcony of a bar into which he was intending to escape. But before he could jump inside the bar, Mr Koh was stopped by a bouncer who told him to go back down.

“I was really frustrated because the bouncer knew the situation below but refused to let me in,” he added.

The scene of the crowd crush from Mr Koh's position on a ledge and the cuts he sustained on his hands from climbing.

Mr Koh caught sight of another narrow ledge on the other side of the building and managed to clamber onto it by grabbing onto a hanging wire.

He then moved away from the crowd by stepping onto another ledge located above a section of street without people, but it was too high to jump down from there.

Mr Koh then climbed onto an adjacent sloping roof, which he slid down before jumping onto a heap of rubbish bags below, located in an area away from the crowds.

Mr Koh was the last of his friends to make it out safely and suffered some minor cuts to his hands.

'BLOCK EVERYONE WHO IS TRYING TO COME UP' 

A few survivors of the harrowing incident took to social media to criticise Waikiki Beach Pub, a well-known club in Itaewon, for prioritising business over public safety as the disaster unfolded.

Written accounts circulating on Twitter alleged that Waikiki’s employees forced people who tried to climb into the pub’s premises for safety to go back into the burgeoning crowd. The Singaporean, Mr Koh, is not sure if this is the bar he was trying to enter.

One survivor recounted on Twitter that he, along with a few others, had climbed into the club by scaling the terrace and climbing over the handrails. However, the person met with workers who cursed and yelled at them to go back down if they did not have the club’s entry bracelet or stamp.

One employee was heard shouting into his walkie-talkie: “Block everyone who is trying to come up. Send them back down even if you have to throw them.”

Hearing this, the anonymous survivor said he told the employees that he would die if he were sent back down and tearfully pleaded to be let out through a different exit that was away from the crowds. One of the employees relented and the survivor escaped safely.

In a separate post, an acquaintance of a survivor wrote: “I want to ask that bar this question. Seeing the disaster unfolding in front of you, was preventing losses to your business the only thing you could think about?”

Many online users expressed shock and disdain over the pub’s actions, with some raising calls for boycott.

CONCERTS, EVENTS CANCELLED

Following the tragedy, South Korean president Yoon Suk-yeol declared that a period of national mourning will be observed until Nov 5.

Several public and media events that were scheduled over the next few days have been cancelled or postponed out of respect for the victims.

This included a highly anticipated annual Halloween party hosted by SM Entertainment, a firm credited with leading the K-pop phenomenon, as well as the 2022 BOF Busan One Asia Festival K-Pop Concert and an episode of South Korean variety show Running Man, featuring Jin, a member of K-pop group BTS.

Popular amusement parks Everland and Lotte World have also scrapped all planned activities including a Halloween parade, street performances and a fireworks show, Koreaboo reported.

AUTHORITIES CRITICISED

One of the country’s biggest daily newspapers, the Chosun Ilbo, said officials should have anticipated that the crowd would be large since it was the first Halloween in three years to be celebrated without Covid-19 pandemic restrictions.

However, the police on the scene seemed to be more focused on crime prevention than crowd safety.

Interior Minister Lee Sang Min admitted on Sunday that police were under-prepared because a large number had been deployed to another Seoul neighbourhood due to several protests.

However, Mr Lee claimed that the crowd at Itaewon “was not a gathering of a large size that caused special concern" and that the incident “could not have been prevented by deploying more police or fire officers”, the Korea Herald reported.

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