Members of Roanoke's Korean Baptist Church have decided not to participate in the annual Local Colors Festival May 19 in Elmwood Park.

The church's pastor, the Rev. Hyun Oh, declined on Thursday to specify a reason for the withdrawal of the festival's only Korean-American contingent.

Three people familiar with the situation said the April 16 shooting deaths of 32 Virginia Tech students and professors, and the wounding of at least 25 others, by Korean immigrant Seung-Hui Cho, are to blame.

"Essentially they feel that they should be excused from Local Colors this year because that's the way they would honor the victims' families," said Dr. Kye Kim, a psychiatrist at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Salem. "They would like to mourn with the families."

Kim is a vice chairman of the Sister Cities of Roanoke Valley's Wonju, Korea, committee. He said he spoke with Oh on Saturday. Kim is not a member of the Korean church.

For many years, the Korean contingent has provided a welcome presence with its food offerings, colorful costumes and elegant dancing, said Pearl Fu, executive director of the Local Colors organization.

Both she and Dr. Robert Roth, president of Roanoke Valley Sister Cities, accept the Korean-Americans' decision to abstain this year from the downtown celebration of foreign heritage and cultures.

"We were worried they were thinking they would be castigated by some people for what happened," said Roth, who worked as a medical missionary in Korea from 1961 to 1972.

"That's not the actual reason" church members withdrew, he said.

Instead, "they feel it would be inappropriate ... to take part in festivities, especially selling their products. It's a very honorable and compassionate reason for not participating," Roth said.

Koreans worldwide have apologized for Cho's actions. South Korea's ambassador to Washington, Lee Tae Shik, told participants in an April 20 candlelight vigil in Fairfax County that the Korean-American community needed to repent.

He suggested a 32-day fast, one day for each shooting victim except Cho.

The Virginia Tech English major from Centreville immigrated with his family from South Korea to the United States when he was 8. He was a permanent legal resident of the U.S. who had a green card, according to the U.S. State Department.

Cho shot and killed himself at the end of his spree, which took place in two campus buildings.

The Korean apologies and expressions of shame have brought criticism from some observers, who feel that they and their fellow immigrants are Americans first.

The Roanoke group "cannot really have a smiling face in front of all those people who are mourning," Kim said. "That's part of the Korean emotionality ... We all know that we are not responsible; however, we feel ashamed simply by the ethnic association with him."

Fu said the reason for the Koreans' absence will be announced several times during the festival.

It will begin in Elmwood Park with a parade at 11 a.m. and conclude at 5 p.m. with a balloon release and tribute to Virginia Tech "after we sing songs of good will," Fu said.

The event also will mark the deaths with 33 seconds of silence -- 32 for the victims and one for Cho, "because he's a victim, too," said Fu, whose ethnicity is Chinese.

She understands the Koreans' decision, but regrets it.

"If they came and celebrated, we could express our sympathy to them," she said.

Oh, the Korean Baptist pastor, said his congregation had discussed the matter before deciding not to participate.

"My church members were sad," he said.

"The Korean communities have been devastated," Kim said, "including myself and my family," which includes a daughter who attends Virginia Tech.

"Rev. Oh said next year he will be glad to be part of the Local Colors with a smiling face," Kim added, "but not this year."

Staff writer Duncan Adams contributed to this report.