◀ Anchor ▶
It’s Lunar New Year, a time when families gather for the first time in a long time to eat rice cake soup and share affection, but there are people who have family that they can’t go to even though they have a hometown, and even if they want to see it, their family is out of reach.
Reporter Son Gu-min met with families of North Korean refugees and bereaved families of the October 29 Itaewon disaster.
◀ Report ▶
After offering chrysanthemum flowers, fill a glass with alcohol, place it on the ancestral rite table, and bow.
This year marks the 40th anniversary of the gathering of North Korean displaced families at the Peace Bell Plaza in Imjingak, Paju.
We need to soothe the sadness of not being able to find our hometown in the distance, or the family that remains only in our memories.
[고무금/실향민]
“My grandfather (husband) came from Gyeolgye-myeon, Hwanghae Province, in the north of the country. He said he would die after at least finding his parents’ mountain, but he went without being able to achieve that dream. I came to take his place and get some fresh air from my hometown.”
“With the 79th anniversary of division, it is said that the number of North Korean refugees participating in events here is noticeably decreasing year by year.
The number of applicants for separated family reunions, which numbered 130,000, decreased to about 30,000 last year.
***
He pours hot broth over the rice cakes, adds garnishes, and hands the rice cake soup with a smile.
The families of the victims of the October 29 Itaewon disaster held a ancestral rite at Seoul City Hall Plaza.
I ate rice cake soup and food I prepared myself with about 100 other citizens.
The third holiday since the disaster.
However, as the special law on the Itaewon disaster was defeated due to the president’s veto, the pain and regret are even more heartbreaking.
[박영수/고 이남훈 씨 어머니]
“It’s a bit heartbreaking to see that this is the only thing we can do, but since we bring the children’s favorite foods to the altar together, it’s like a real New Year’s Eve.”
Just across the street from where the families of the Itaewon disaster are, there are also the families of the victims of the Sewol Ferry, who are now celebrating the 10th anniversary of the disaster.
The bereaved families of the two victims, who lost their families in the tragic accident, shared holiday food together.
The families of the victims of the two disasters pledged to continue to work together to prevent the tragedies from repeating and to create a safe society.
This is Son Gu-min from MBC News.
Video reporting: Nam Seong-hyeon / Video editing: Ahn Jun-hyuk
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2024-02-10 11:05:03
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