Business owners in Itaewon are suffering after the tragedy that killed 158 young people because there are no customers.

One business owner, 'A,' opened his restaurant a few months ago in Haebangchon, Itaewon-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul. Social distancing regulations were all lifted, and the Itaewon area was expected to boom once again as it did before. He explained, "After the disaster, the commercial district died down to the point where there are only a few customers, even on the weekends. I pushed myself to open a restaurant, but I am more concerned about the future.”

Since October 29, when the Itaewon tragedy occurred, not only Itaewon Station and the World Food Culture Street area but also the surrounding commercial districts are experiencing no customers.

In particular, Haebangchon and Gyeongnidan-gil, which were crowded with young people every weekend with trendy restaurants, bars, and cafes, were affected the most.

On the evening of November 12, which was a Saturday, the usually bustling area was quiet with few people.

A brunch restaurant near Yongsan-gu Office usually had more than 20 groups of customers waiting on weekends, but on this day, there were more empty seats than tables occupied by customers. Most of these were foreigners who seemed to be nearby residents.

An employee of the restaurant said, "In the two weeks since the tragedy, the number of customers has decreased by more than half."

Haebangchon was no different. The popular cafe, which was usually full of customers, was occupied only by the staff.

Mr. Kim, the owner of this establishment, sighed, saying, "It seems like it went back to when COVID-19 was in full swing. It's a bit better because nearby residents come, and there is the delivery app service (order), but if it goes on like this for a long time, I don't know if we'll survive."

Mr. Jeong (age 29), an office worker living in Itaewon-dong, said, "On weekend nights, I used to see a lot of restaurants filled with customers on my way home but now, I see the restaurants are filled with just staff members rather than customers."

He then added, "I went to a famous pizza restaurant in Haebangchon last weekend and was surprised to be able to get a seat immediately without waiting."

'B' (Age 60), the owner of a restaurant in Haebangchon, said, "When people think of 'Itaewon', they think of Itaewon Station, Haebangchon, and Gyeongridan-gil together. It's like a course: you drink at Haebangchon and go down to the Itaewon station and vice versa." 

'C,' a bar owner in his 50s, who runs a bar in Gyeongnidan-gil, also said, "The residents know that this area is further away from the area where the accident occurred, but for visitors, Itaewon is all the same area. At least until the end of the year, all nearby commercial districts will be dead."

Business owners are worried due to the solemness in the area after the tragedy. Most of them are frustrated as there is no right solution to overcome this situation. Restaurant owner 'B' explained, "During COVID-19, we could say to customers, 'come because we put up separators and we are quarantined safely so it's safe,' but right now it's different. Customers don't want to come this way. How can we say, 'we're at a different part of the town, so come'?"

Lee Eun Hee, a professor of consumer studies at Inha University, said, “When a commercial district starts to die for some reason, it collapses without stopping. Only when the atmosphere of mourning over the tragedy subsides, and people recognize that Itaewon as a whole is safe is when the commercial area can be revived."

At the same time, she said, "There are few places in Seoul that can replace the unique exotic atmosphere of Itaewon. It will take quite a while, but if the reluctance to go is overcome, people will come back again."