Families of the Itaewon crowd crush victims took to the streets on Saturday demanding a formal apology from the president and urged that a special law be introduced to set up an independent body to uncover the truth behind the tragic event.

Around one-thousand family members began their march at 11 a.m. from the memorial altar set up at Noksapyeong subway station and headed towards Gwanghwamun Plaza.

They also observed brief periods of silence in front of the Yongsan presidential office and at downtown subway stations to grieve the death of family members in the fatal crowd surge that saw 159 deaths. The march comes ahead of the 100th day since the October 29 tragedy.

Earlier the bereaved families requested Seoul City's permission to set up a memorial structure in Gwanghwamun Plaza on Saturday but the city government declined citing safety reasons. Regardless of the refusal, the protestors tried to set up a temporary memorial for the deceased as they were passing by the Gwanghwamun area.

Scuffles ensued with police and civil servants in the process. Some 3,000 police have been dispatched to the area.