The Itaewon tragedy last week was a shock. About 150 people died during the Halloween celebration on Saturday night, 29th October 2022, in the small streets of Itaewon. No tear gas was used, and no irresponsible event organisers were responsible for the disaster. Instead, the venue overflowed with people hungry for entertainment, and there were too few police officers present. I pray for those who died there and for their families. May they rest in peace. Itaewon will never feel like the same playful place again.
Itaewon is a district in Seoul, South Korea, filled with bars and clubs, and many (Western) foreigners consider it famous. I tried to find any Itaewon pictures in my photo archives, but I only found pictures of me and my friends hanging out in Itaewon bars and restaurants, not the narrow alleys where the accidents happened. Itaewon is where we can easily find Western foods and alcoholic drinks, not just the usual Korean ones, such as Soju and Maekju. As a foreigner who does not drink (alcohol) and who prefers to explore more traditional Korean cultures while living there, I never thought of Itaewon as my favourite place. But inevitably, I often visited it when I lived in Seoul between August 2010 and June 2011.
At that time, I had a close friend, a Russian girl who loved going to Itaewon. She was my colleague at the office, living in the same building as me, and my ‘naughty’ pal who taught me mischievous things (like Fred and George Weasleys), but was very friendly, kind, and caring towards me. One of our favorite places was J.J. Mahoney’s Club at the Hyatt Hotel, thanks to their excellent live music that suited my taste. I am unsure if the club still exists and remains as grand as it once was.
I also often hung out in Itaewon with several international communities I joined, including Toastmasters and the Free Korean Language Course. Additionally, there were not many mosques in Seoul, and one of them happened to be located in Itaewon. I went there once with my parents and sister while they were visiting me.
That Halloween tragedy made me revisit that blog, where I wrote (almost) the detailed accounts about my everyday life in Seoul. It also triggered me to write again about my daily life, even in this boring Jakarta.