South Korea declares national mourning after Halloween stampede kills 151 people
Tags: International News
South Korea's President Yoon Suk-yeol declared a period of national mourning on 30 October 2022 after a Halloween stampede killed 151 people in a packed nightlife area in the South Korean capital city of Seoul.
At least 151 people, mostly teenagers including foreigners from China, Iran, Uzbekistan and Norway have been killed in one of South Korea’s worst disasters and the world's worst stampedes in decades. The local authorities expect the death toll to rise.
It was the first Halloween event in Seoul in three years to be virtually free of COVID-19 restrictions and social distancing. The stampede happened in an alley near a nightclub in the Itaewon district of Seoul which was packed with people .
Halloween festival
Halloween is based on the Celtic festival Samhain, a celebration in ancient Britain and Ireland that marked the end of summer and the beginning of the New Year on 1st November. Halloween is observed every year on 31 October.
It is believed that during Samhain the souls of those who had died that year travelled to the other world and that other souls would return to visit their homes.
People wear costumes to hide themselves from these wandering souls. Another tradition is the carving of demonic faces on pumpkins.
Republic of Korea (South Korea)
It lies in the Korean peninsula in East Asia.
The Korean peninsula was divided into communist Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea) and Republic of Korea (South Korea) after the Korean War in 1953.
Capital: Seoul
Currency: South Korean Won
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