Commemorating the Itaewon Disaster: Lessons Learned and Calls for Social Mourning

◀ Anchor ▶

The October 29 Itaewon disaster in which 159 people lost their lives.

The first anniversary is now approaching, but there is no space to commemorate the incident.

Today, bereaved families and civic groups held a discussion meeting.

Appeals were made to not forget the lessons of the disaster through so-called ‘social mourning.’

Reporter Kim Se-young covered the story.

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The alley in front of Exit 1 of Itaewon Station.

The clocks still stop on that night, October 29th last year.

[배기호]

″I’m from Suncheon, Jeollanam-do. It seems like a lot has been forgotten, so I want to once again provide strength to the young people who unfortunately passed away at that time… ″

As we mourned and cried together, we gradually dispersed into our own daily lives, and before we knew it, fall had arrived again.

At the site of the disaster, a memorial message has been posted on the exterior wall of the building without any separate facilities for a year. Now, a year later, work on installing the memorial space has begun.

A memorial space named ‘Road of Memory and Safety’.

The bereaved family and civic groups first requested it, and the district office covered the cost.

However, it is said to be ‘temporary’.

Only when the Itaewon Disaster Special Act is passed will it be officially recognized as a place of remembrance, and facility reinforcement and management will become possible.

[진정호/고 진세은 아버지]

″These are children who died due to the absence of the state, and although these children cannot come back, I want to hear that things have improved and become better because of these children.″

The incense altar set up by the bereaved families in front of Seoul City Hall became inevitable.

29 million won in compensation imposed by Seoul City for ‘unauthorized occupation of public land’.

I raised an objection to the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission, but was told it was a “valid administrative disposition.”

[임익철/고 임종원 아버지]

″It seems like almost a year has passed and nothing tangible has been achieved. With the mindset of ‘let’s protect the precious fire,’ we desperately maintained the incense burner… ″

At a discussion held by bereaved families and civic groups, attendees emphasized the importance of preserving records for ‘memory.’

Identifying the cause of the disaster, punishing those responsible, and institutionally preventing “secondary harm” are all prerequisites for reaching an agreement on so-called “social mourning.”

[정원옥/′문화과학′ 편집위원]

“If the truth is not properly established, confusion and doubts arise about how to remember those who disappeared, delaying ‘social mourning’ and making it impossible to remember the meaning and lessons of the event.”

This is Seyoung Kim from MBC News.

Video coverage: Younggeun Jang / Video editing: Nayeon Kwon

2023-10-12 11:35:54
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