South Koreans hold subdued Halloween celebrations a year after party crush killed about 160 people

Family members of the victims shout slogans during a service to mark the first anniversary of the harrowing crowd surge that killed about 160 people in a Seoul alleyway, at the Itaewon district in Seoul, South Korea, Sunday, Oct. 29, 2023. - AP

SEOUL, South Korea (AP): Halloween celebrations in South Korea were subdued on the eve of the first anniversary of a harrowing crowd surge that killed about 160 people in a Seoul alleyway.

Many restaurants, bars, department stores and amusement parks avoided Halloween-themed events this year as a sign of respect for the victims. Few people clad in Halloween costumes were seen Saturday in Seoul’s popular Itaewon neighborhood, where revelers fell on each other like dominos as a large number of people crammed into the narrow, sloping alley.