"Please send him, my husband, send him home!"
These were the only words spoken by Fatima, the wife of 26-year-old Sri Lankan Ginat (pictured below), who was killed in the Itaewon massacre in South Korea.
Genat, 26, and Fatima, 24, only got married in July.
Previously, their family was very opposed to the union of the young couple, and after eight years of hard work, finally Genat came to South Korea to develop, and the two accepted their marriage.
Genat wanted Fatima to study in Korea and live with him. Recently, she was preparing documents for admission to a Korean university and was pregnant.
After 9 p.m. last Saturday, friends couldn't reach Genat, and Fatima, who was far away in her hometown, was anxious.
Unfortunately, the next day, people found Genate's cell phone at the subway station.
"Ginat came to Korea to make money and treat his mother's cancer, he has a lot of dreams!" Genat's colleague Kessel told the media.
Kessel said Gennett doesn't frequent, like pubs and nightclubs, and he just goes out for a walk on that fateful night.
It is understood that Ginat is the sole breadwinner of the family, his mother has cancer, his father has diabetes and his brother has been battling mental health issues.
Fatima had no more words other than to ask her husband's remains for a final funeral.
We are trying to coordinate with the Sri Lankan Embassy in Seoul, but the process will take time. Another friend, Ifarm, who was helping with the aftermath, said.
Ginat and Fatima, a bitter little couple, could have kept the clouds open and see the moon, but it was only March, and Ginat died like this, which is really pitiful.
In addition to Gennett, the identified is 24-year-old Australian girl Grace Lachede.
Grace is a film production assistant based in Sydney.
That night, Grace dressed up as Audrey Hepburn and went to Itaewon with 3 other friends to celebrate Halloween, but never returned.
Among the victims, the more well-known were popular 24-year-old idol Lee Ji-han, who participated in the talent show, 24-year-old South Korean professional baseball cheerleader Kim Yuna, and 26-year-old Japanese model Nyao Tsukawa .
and two young American students, Anne Giske and Steve Blacey, both 20 years old.
and our 4 compatriots, 2 of whom are from Ningbo, both in their 20s, one of whom is still in his third year in South Korea, and the other who stayed on after graduating from a university in South Korea.
According to the latest statistics, of the 156 people who died in Itaewon trampling cases, 11 were teenagers and 103 were in their 20s, accounting for 74% of all deaths.
This begs the question, why is Halloween so cool in Korea? What kind of mentality do young people have to participate in this event?
"A lot of people my age want to show off how fashionable they are," said Mr. Kim, 27, who asked not to be named.
"I think they like to take pictures of themselves and friends drinking at bars and upload them to social networking sites and just brag about how stylish they are," Mr Kim said.
"Some of my friends also hooked up with strangers, and the festive Halloween atmosphere made people let their guard down."
Halloween in Korea is very different from Halloween in the United States, children don't trick-or-treat, families don't have to make pumpkin lanterns, and houses don't decorate like haunted houses.
In recent years, the festival has grown in popularity among younger Koreans, tech-savvy millennials, and Gen Z, who are very sensitive to new trends and love to share these experiences on social media.
South Korean experts say the growing number of young South Koreans living in the U.S. and returning home to celebrate Halloween, or at least learning about the tradition online or through close friends living abroad, fuels the celebration atmosphere.
In South Korea, smaller Halloween crowds appear in Hongdeok, Mapo-gu, west of Seoul, and Gangnam-gu, south of Seoul, both popular choices for young revelers to gather and drink.
And Itaewon's bars and clubs are known for their foreign cuisine, cosmopolitan atmosphere, and nightlife, mainly because of its proximity to U.S. military bases.
It also sparked growing interest in Halloween by organizing Halloween parties and decorating venues with Halloween installations.
Some large companies and chains, also launch Halloween specials, such as skeleton-themed donuts, or drinks with cream on top and shaped like ghosts.
For many young Koreans, celebrating Halloween in Itaewon, an international community, is just cool.
South Korean officials say this year's Halloween celebrations have attracted more revelers, about 100,000 people, because for the first time in three years, tourists are allowed to remove their masks in an outdoor environment.
A professor of sociology at Chonbuk National University said: "Young people's exposure to Halloween culture, their frequent use of social media, and businesses trying to take advantage of all this through marketing strategies have overheated Halloween celebrations. ”
Items of the victims
The Korean professor continued: "Now that restrictions have finally been eased, young people will think that this year's Halloween is some kind of outlet out of trouble. ”
In addition to the fact that young people are deeply affected by the external environment, is there an element of human calamity behind it?
Items of the victims
On Monday, South Korea set up a special investigation team of 475 people to analyze the accident and is collecting and reviewing evidence, including eyewitness accounts and CCTV footage of the area.
There are rumors on the Internet that on the evening of October 29, a big-name celebrity and an Internet celebrity were near the scene of the tragedy, which caused so many people to flock from multiple directions, and the name of the well-known Korean star Liu Yaren is one of them.
Actor Liu Yaren's agency, UAA, immediately issued a statement on Tuesday denying the ridiculous rumor.
"Yoo has nothing to do with what happened in Itaewon," the brokerage said, "He has business abroad, so he left South Korea on Oct. 29 and is currently overseas." ”
Items of the victims
Others on the network also claimed that some clubs and bars refused to let people in to escape the disaster when the stampede occurred.
Several others said they heard someone shouting "push, push forward" near the top of the alley where the accident occurred.
What happened in this deadly half-hour, waiting for the official truth in South Korea to be revealed, is painful, for the families of these victims, what should they do for the rest of their lives.