Zahra Rezaei, who misplaced her daughter Afagh Rastmanesh within the 2022 Itaewon crowd crush, speaks to the Hankyoreh in Seoul on Oct. 27, 2025, throughout her go to to Korea to mark the third anniversary of her daughter’s loss of life. (Cho Hae-yeong/Hankyoreh)
An excellent daughter who earned her grasp’s diploma in Iran earlier than she determined to pursue her doctorate overseas — that is how Zahra Rezaei, 60, remembered her daughter Afagh Rastmanesh, who died three years in the past within the tragic crowd crush in Seoul’s Itaewon space on Oct. 29, 2022.
Rezaei remembers that though Afagh was accepted by universities in a number of international locations, she insisted on finding out in Korea as a result of she “beloved” the nation. However lower than a yr into her research, Afagh’s life was minimize quick on the age of 29 within the catastrophe in Itaewon, proper within the coronary heart of Seoul. Sharing numerous photographs of her beloved daughter on her telephone, Razaei expressed pleasure, ache and anger.
Accepting the federal government’s first official invitation, 46 relations representing international victims of the 2022 crowd crush that left 159 useless visited Korea for the third anniversary of the tragedy. Once they spoke to the Hankyoreh on Monday, Afagh’s mom and brother confused that there mustn’t ever be one other tragedy just like the one which took Afagh away from them.
Afagh Rastmanesh was engaged on her doctorate diploma in Korea when she died within the Itaewon crowd crush on Oct. 29, 2022. (courtesy of Rastmanesh’s household)
The subsequent day, the 2 joined different households at a press convention for the international households of these killed within the Itaewon catastrophe. Sharing unresolved questions, ache, and hopes, households from world wide comforted one another.
On the time of the tragedy, Afagh was pursuing a Ph.D. in engineering at a college in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province. Her household described her as “a sort and compassionate individual” and “somebody who beloved analysis and was fiercely devoted to it.” The web site of the coalition of households who misplaced family members within the Itaewon catastrophe introduces Afagh as an “engineering pupil who dreamed of gender equality.”
The final textual content messages Afagh despatched her mom expressed each eager for her household and the primary trace of the tragedy: “I’m doing properly,” “I’ll go to the Halloween competition tonight and ship you footage.” As an alternative of the promised photographs from that evening out, Afagh’s mom’s telephone now contained an image of her daughter’s grave adorned with colourful flowers.
“Afagh was accepted to many universities in several international locations, not solely the one in Korea. However she selected to come back right here as a result of she beloved Korea and Koreans,” her household added. “So many harmless folks misplaced their lives. We demand justice and that these accountable be clearly recognized in order that such a tragedy by no means occurs once more.”
This plea echoed among the many international households gathered at a press convention held on Tuesday on the “Home of Stars,” a memorial house for the Itaewon crush victims in Jongno District, Seoul.
The dad and mom of Stine Roalkvam Evensen, a Norwegian pupil who misplaced her life within the catastrophe, recounted receiving their daughter’s stays. Stine’s physique was delivered to the household 9 days after the catastrophe and had been embalmed.
The one info her dad and mom had obtained relating to their daughter’s embalming was a doc issued by the funeral firm that transported the physique to the airport in Korea stating that it had “requested embalming as a result of the physique needed to be flown like cargo,” Stine’s mom, Susanne, mentioned.
Concerning communication with authorities following the tragedy, Stine’s father, Erik, mentioned, “We had some contact with the embassy and the college. [. . .] There was utterly no message from [the government of] Korea. Completely nothing.”
Zahra Rezaei reveals a photograph of her at her daughter Afagh Rastmanesh’s grave in Iran. (Cho Hae-yeong/Hankyoreh)
Mahnaz, the sister of Iranian sufferer Somayeh Moghimi Nezhad, additionally identified that the obtrusive absence of the Korean authorities in communications has been significantly devastating for the households of international victims.
“Forward of the second anniversary [of the tragedy], the households of the Iranian victims deliberate to go to Korea. However we have been knowledgeable just one week previous to departure that we would have liked to use for separate visas, and finally couldn’t come to Korea,” Mahnaz mentioned.
“I wish to ask: if a Korean pupil finding out in Iran had been killed in the same accident, how would Korea have handled Iran?” she went on.
The bereaved households continued to specific their ache by questions. The mom of Oksana Kim, from Russia, mentioned, “I nonetheless don’t perceive why [the police] weren’t ready after they knew so many individuals would come [to Itaewon].”
“I wish to know why no investigation was carried out for 3 years, why it wasn’t investigated throughout the earlier president’s time period, and whose is at fault for this,” she added.
After enduring three years of isolation, bereaved households from world wide lastly sat collectively, providing one another consolation. Throughout the press convention, which came about over two hours, nods of empathy and sobs unfold in waves as statements have been interpreted from and into English, Persian, Russian, French and Chinese language.
Zahra appealed as soon as extra as a part of the coalition of households. “The bereaved households in Iran are additionally striving to uncover the reality. I consider that once we perceive one another and train our humanity, the reality [behind the disaster] can be revealed.” A lightweight glimmered from a necklace she wore with a spherical attraction bearing her daughter Afagh’s title.
By Cho Hae-yeong, workers reporter; Park Chan-hee, workers reporter
Please direct questions or feedback to [english@hani.co.kr]
