“After talks with the Cultural Heritage Administration, we have decided to call off the fashion show that was slated to be held at Gyeongbok Palace on Nov. 1,” Gucci said in a statement on Sunday evening.
“We want to respect Korea’s national period of mourning and send our deepest condolences to the victims of the tragedy that occurred in Itaewon on the 29th.”
Gucci had planned to showcase its “Gucci Cosmogonie Collection Seoul” through a fashion show in Gyeongbok Palace, in Jongno District, central Seoul, on Tuesday.
The collection was first unveiled at Castel del Monte in Apulia, Italy, in May.
It was set to be the first show in Korea directed by Alessandro Michele, Gucci’s creative director. Some 500 guests were slated to attend, including diplomatic and business figures and celebrities.
In an emergency briefing held noon Sunday, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo declared Yongsan District a special disaster area and announced a delay on all non-urgent issues.
“We will provide the families of the deceased and those who have been injured with subsidies and other necessary measures. We will also work with embassies to make sure that the injured foreigners are properly supported,” he said.
By press time Sunday, 151 deaths were confirmed by the National Fire Agency, which added that 19 of the 82 injured remain in critical condition.
BY LEE JIAN [lee.jian@joongang.co.kr]