Relatives and friends of the tenants who died from a clash with police at a redevelopment district in Yongsan, Seoul, cry while paying tribute to the victims at a memorial altar set up near the scene of accident, Wednesday.
/ Korea Times Photo by Koh Young-kwon |
By Kim Rahn
Staff Reporter
Bereaved family members have hit out over the death of six people who died during Tuesday's standoff between police and tenants protesting a redevelopment project in a residential and shopping district in Yongsan, central Seoul.
The wife of one of the dead tenants, 49-year-old Lee Seong-su, cried out in sorrow when she saw his shoes after identifying his body at Soon Chun Hyang University Hospital Wednesday morning. She had only bought him the shoes several days ago.
Lee and 40 other people staged a sit-in at a five-story building from Monday, demanding more compensation to leave the district. Police mobilized a SWAT team early Tuesday morning to evict them, but a fire broke out, killing six and injuring 23.
``The wife did not recognize Lee at first, as the body was badly burned. It was not until she saw remains of his underwear, which he wore when he left home Monday morning, that she recognized him,'' said a family member of another injured tenant.
The wife of another victim, 55-year-old Yang Hoe-seong, screamed, ``Please get my husband back!''
Yang ran a Japanese restaurant in Yeouido until 1998 but moved to Yongsan, where the rent was cheaper, after the Asian financial crisis hit his family.
``When we had a meal together last Sunday, he said he was sorry for being poor. Then he joined in the protest on the rooftop of the building, and now he can never come back,'' the wife said.
Yang's two sons are chefs trained in the culinary arts of Japan, following in their father's footsteps. ``My father dreamed of opening a big restaurant with all of us working together,'' one of the sons said.
Yang's family had to search a string of hospitals before police called them late Tuesday evening and said that Yang's body was at the National Institute of Scientific Investigation for an autopsy. ``How come they did that without the family's consent?'' Yang's daughter said.
Another family named Lee saw two people become victims in the incident. The 70-year-old father, Lee Sang-rim, died and his 36-year-old son fell from the building and was severely injured. Lee ran a restaurant and bar in the area for 30 years.
``We have run a business there for 30 years, and the shop was our site for living. We wanted to keep that, keep our hope, rather than having bigger compensation,'' another son said.
People paying their condolences mourned over the death of police officer Kim Nam-hun, who was a member of the SWAT team. Kim, a 31-year-old divorcee, had an eight-year-old daughter.
``I was proud of him as he received many citations. But I used to worry about him as he always faced danger doing his job,'' Kim's father said.
Police and the prosecution are jointly investigating the exact cause of the fire and deaths. Police and the tenants made different claims about the cause of the fire ― police said the tenants sprinkled paint thinner and threw Molotov cocktails, while tenants said they threw Molotov cocktails toward the police, but their water cannon sent the weapons in the direction of the thinner.
If it is found that the fire broke out due to excessive police action, then the state will be forced to compensate the tenants, but if the cause was the tenants' violent actions, they will be burdened with responsibility and compensate the dead officer.
The decision to mobilize a SWAT team only a day after the occupation began is also under investigation. If it is found that the action was improper, police officers in charge of the operation, including police chief-designate Kim Seok-ki, may have to take responsibility.
The bereaved families and civic groups demanded the government punish those responsible and apologize for the tragedy. They claimed the authorities performed autopsies without the consent of the families, causing more distress.
rahnita@koreatimes.co.kr
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yistory@koreatimes.co.kr
