A high school student who lost two friends chooses a troupe
“I suffer from seeing the comments insulting the victim”
Due to the dissolution of the disaster and the early dissolution of the main script
Rather than recovering, it makes it harder for the victims
“Because of the absence of a pan-governmental disaster response”
The bereaved families of the victims of the Itaewon tragedy are weeping as they touch the portraits of the victims at the citizen memorial service in the plaza of Noksapyeong Station, Yongsan-gu, Seoul on the followingnoon of the 14th. On that day, 158 portraits were placed on the altar of the citizen’s incense burner, which was set up by the families of the victims of the October 29 Itaewon disaster and officials from the Citizens’ Countermeasures Committee. The 76 frames with black ribbons contain the victims’ photos and names. A photo of chrysanthemum flowers was placed in the frame as the bereaved family did not want to reveal their faces or names. Reporter Han Soo-bin
A high school student who survived the ‘Itaewon Halloween Disaster’ made an extreme choice. Although this student regularly received psychological treatment following the disaster, it seems that he was unable to overcome the trauma. It is pointed out that problems need to be improved by checking whether the ‘victim-centered’ accident recovery is working properly.
High school student A, who suffered the Itaewon disaster, was found dead on the 13th at an accommodation in Mapo-gu, Seoul. No suicide note was found at the scene. A police official said, “It is estimated that he made an extreme choice. According to the wishes of the bereaved family, an autopsy has been decided not to be performed.”
Group A was at the scene on the day of the accident and was taken to the hospital for treatment. Two friends who went to Itaewon together died in an accident. Group A said that he had to go to the funeral of his friends who died two days following being admitted to the hospital, and he was discharged. Group A, who returned to school a week following the disaster, suffered from mental shock, and said that he received psychological treatment regularly because of this.
Group A was known to be particularly hurt by malicious comments. Group A’s mother interviewed MBC that day and said, “(My son) once talked regarding it in mid-November while crying. She got very angry when she saw comments insulting friends who had died, saying, ‘Isn’t she dead following going to see a celebrity?’” she said.
As of the 14th, five students are recovering from injuries sustained at the site of the Itaewon disaster. An official from the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education said, “We will check the status of emergency psychological support at the Wee Center in charge of the school where the survivors belong, and if additional support is needed, we plan to provide support.” We are promoting psychological emotional support for each target, such as managers, in cooperation with related organizations.”
As a result of this incident, criticism is growing that the victim-centered disaster recovery is insufficient.
The government disbanded the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (Critical Response Headquarters), a disaster response organization, on the 2nd, a month following the incident. The regulations on the composition and operation of the major disaster headquarters state that the organization can be operated during the ‘period of response and recovery due to the occurrence or fear of a large-scale disaster’. Nevertheless, the critical script was dismantled early at a time when psychological healing and care for the bereaved families and survivors of the disaster are more important than ever.
Compared to past cases, the operating period of the heavy script is relatively short. At the time of the Sewol Ferry Disaster in 2014, the critical script was expanded to the pan-governmental accident countermeasures headquarters (pan-script). The operating period was also 7 months from April 16th to November 18th. According to the data received from the Ministry of Public Administration and Security by the Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Jeon Yong-gi, even in the case of the Hungarian cruise ship sinking accident in 2019, the critical script was operated for two months from May 30 to July 30.
Kim Hyeon-soo, a professor of psychiatry at Myongji Hospital and former head of the Seoul Suicide Prevention Center, said, “The government closed the critical script early, and without this organization, it is difficult to come up with government-wide support or measures.” At the same time, he pointed out, “Currently, communication for psychological support for the bereaved families and survivors will not be as good as when there was a major script.
Passport, raising the psychological trauma of survivors and bereaved families and shifting responsibility
Some point out that the passport’s attitude toward the disaster as a ‘political issue’ and the swear words of some of the passport figures stemming from it hinder proper recovery and healing and increase the psychological trauma of the bereaved families and survivors. On the 10th, Rep. Kwon Seong-dong of People’s Power posted a post on his SNS saying, ‘Itaewon should not go the same way as Sewol Ferry’. On the 11th, Congressman Jang Je-won also wrote on social media, “In the first place (the government investigation into the Itaewon disaster) was an issue that should not have been agreed upon.” Mi-na Kim, a member of the People’s Power Changwon City Council, made a last-ditch remark to the bereaved family members, saying, “Did you die while saving the country?” Then she was referred to the People’s Power Ethics Committee.
Lee Jae-geun, secretary-general of the People’s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy, who is active in the ‘Citizen Participation Committee for Fact-Finding the Itaewon Disaster’, said, “The lawmakers’ harsh words and insulting comments toward the bereaved families not only shrink the survivors, but also hinder their return to daily life.” He pointed out that the National Assembly should express more active support and support for the survivors, but following the dissolution of the scriptwriter’s script, it seems that the survivors are in fact passing responsibility.”
Professor Kim Hyeon-soo advised, “We need a space where the bereaved or survivors can gather together to cry and talk together.
