Flowers and bottles of traditional Korean alcohol are placed near a framed message dedicated to those who lost their lives during the Halloween tragedy last Saturday in a makeshift memorial site near Itaewon Station in Seoul on Oct. 31. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul

By Kang Hyun-kyung

The wounds are still fresh. Korea is reeling from the deadly crowd crush that took the lives of 156 people and injured many others who gathered in the alleys of central Seoul's Itaewon last Saturday for Halloween celebrations.

The tragedy is ongoing as families of the victims are gripped by the deep pain of loss and 38 others who were injured during the nightmare are still hospitalized and receiving medical treatment. Among those who lost their lives are 26 foreign nationals from 14 different countries, which has brought messages from around the entire world in mourning for the tragic losses.

As the international community grieves, The Korea Times is receiving condolence messages from the chiefs of mission at embassies in Korea to share with our readers. Their messages will be published in our newspaper in an effort to relieve the pain and agony shouldered by the families who lost their loved ones.