Delusion and the Madness of Crowds

Terror in the Three Alleys: I was in the Itaewon stampede

By: Anthony Spaeth

I was part of the crush of people that killed 151 on October 29 in the Three Alleys neighborhood of Itaewon, an area of Seoul where I hang out. I was squeezed out of the crowd around 20 minutes before the tragedy, breathless, and close to a panic attack.

The area is a stumbling distance from home. Its nickname comes from three small all…