A year for those who lost family members in the disaster
Planning a meeting with citizens during the memorial week Wanting to correct misunderstandings and hatred Explaining the personal history of the victims and special laws, etc. “I just want to know the truth through the special committee.” “I think it is a calling left behind by my children.”
▲ Lee Sung-hwan (far left), father of the late Lee Sang-eun, is explaining to citizens the need for a special law on the Itaewon disaster on the 21st in front of the Itaewon disaster memorial altar set up at Seoul Plaza in Jung-gu, Seoul. The Itaewon disaster incense burner, which was set up on one side of Seoul Plaza in Jung-gu, Seoul on February 4, one day before the 100th day of the Itaewon disaster, remains in place to this day, one year before the disaster. Those who lost their families in the disaster are living a completely different life than before the disaster, demanding an investigation into the truth and sometimes crying in front of the incense burner.
The late Lim Jong-won’s father, Ik-cheol (68), the late Lee Sang-eun’s father, Seong-hwan (57), and the late Yoo Yeon-ju’s father, Hyeong-woo (53), whom we met at the incense burner on the afternoon of the 20th, have long since forgotten their lives before the disaster. The three people, who were busy preparing for the ‘docent’ (guide who explains the Itaewon disaster) event with citizens scheduled for the next day, were busier than anyone else.
Some of the families of the victims of the Itaewon disaster planned a meeting with citizens to commemorate the first anniversary of the disaster. This is because I think there is a need for a place to directly explain the stories of each victim, as well as the remaining tasks, such as enacting a special law on the Itaewon disaster and uncovering the truth. Mr. Seonghwan explained, “Nothing has yet been revealed, and the person responsible is still far from being punished,” and “I decided to gather courage and meet the people because I didn’t want the 159 people, including Sang-eun, Jong-won, and Yeon-joo, to be forgotten in people’s memories.”
I also had a strong desire to correct the misunderstanding and hatred that had accumulated over the year since the disaster. Now that the trial has begun, isn’t the investigation of the truth over? Isn’t the enactment of a special law ultimately aimed at obtaining compensation? . Although we have now become accustomed to the unspeakable, heartbreaking words, the three said, “I break down every time.” Hyeong-woo said, “I believed that I now had calluses on my chest, but that is easier said than done. We just want to know the truth about our beloved family’s last moments that day.”
“Please listen to our story for a moment.” ▲ 10/29 We will remember
A post-it note attached to the ‘Wall of Remembrance’ at the incense burner in front of Seoul Plaza in Jung-gu, Seoul. Reporter Kim Ye-seul On the 21st, when a docent event was held to meet citizens, the area in front of the incense burner was filled with cries from bereaved families. In response to their earnest appeal, about 10 citizens settled down on one side of the incense burner to hear their story.
Mr. Ikcheol, who was the first docent, shared the past year of the bereaved families with the citizens by pointing to the photos on the panel installed on the tree in front of the incense burner. And he continued the story of his son, Mr. Jongwon, whom he can no longer see. Mr. Ik-cheol, whose eyes stopped on the 115th photo out of 159 portraits placed in the incense burner, was speechless for a moment as he looked at his son’s face. Mr. Ikcheol said, “Jongwon, a semiconductor researcher, was just trying to meet my cousin who was employed that day and show her around Seoul.” He added, “It breaks my heart when people say to my son, ‘Didn’t he go out to play and die?’ did.
Mr. Seong-hwan, who stood in front of citizens holding in his hand a piece of paper on which he wrote down what he wanted to say and what he had to say, said, “For a year, I thought about the responsibility of the state and its legitimacy amidst countless questions. “In our eyes, the police investigation and the ongoing trial all look like ‘cutting off the tail,’” he began the story. He continued, “In the end, we came to the conclusion that it was necessary to find out the truth through a special investigation committee. “If the special law does not pass the National Assembly, we have nothing left to look forward to,” he emphasized.
After the event, Mr. Ikcheol said with a smile, “I never thought I would be a docent in my life,” and said, “Just as press conferences on the road have become a norm, I will get used to this after doing this a few more times.” Seonghwan said, “I know that it is frustrating and difficult for citizens to face a situation like a disaster,” and “But shouldn’t we find out the truth in order to create a safer society? “I think that’s the calling that her daughter left behind,” she said. The bereaved families will continue to provide docents on the 28th, and on the 29th, they will march from Itaewon to the incense burner and hold a citizen memorial service to commemorate the first anniversary.
Written and photographed by Reporter Kim Ye-seul
2023-10-26 15:37:09
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