At 304 Reading
Remembering victims of Sewol ferry
On the last Saturday of April, a reading was held at the April 16 Coalition in Seoul for the Sewol ferry disaster. It was the 126th session of the 304 Reading, a monthly event set up to honor the 304 victims who never returned after the Sewol ferry sank on April 16, 2014. Writers and members of the public participate in the reading, which is planned to be held a total of 304 times.
The first 304 Reading was held at Gwanghwamun Square in the nation's capital on Sept. 20, 2014. Since then, readings have taken place in various cities — including Seoul, Ansan, Jeju and Gwangju — over the past 11 years.
About 20 people, including myself, gathered for the April reading. Nine participants read aloud pieces they had selected — mostly poems — while the rest of us listened. Some poets shared and recited their own work.
A novelist read the lyrics of “A Girl and a Flowerpot,” a song by Doma. Among the lyrics, the following especially touched my heart:
“On a day so fine that the flower in the pot is smiling,
only I have a long face.
Then a girl kindly came to me and said,
don’t keep sadness in your house, release it.”
Without someone to share our feelings, including sadness, life becomes much more difficult. By reading and listening to the writings at the reading, we found strength to continue writing about important social issues in the pursuit of a safer society.
If we forget past disasters, building a safe society becomes much more difficult. Five victims of the Sewol ferry disaster have still not been found: two Danwon High School students (Bak Yeong-in and Nam Hyeon-cheol), one teacher (Yang Seung-jin), and a father and his young son (Gwon Jae-geun and Gwon Hyeok-gyu).
More than 10 years have passed since the disaster. However, has our society become safer? Many tragedies, such as the Itaewon disaster and the Jeju Air crash, have continued to occur. Although many citizens are working to build a safer society, our social structure still needs reform.
To make this society safer, we should clearly identify the causes of past disasters and take all the necessary measures to prevent such tragedies. Most of all, we need to change the current social system that values money more than life.
Anyone who would like to remember the victims of the Sewol ferry disaster can attend the monthly 304 Readings. You can participate by contributing a reading if you want. Some participants sing songs.
Walking in the nearby woods today, I saw green trees full of life. They thrive on water, air, sunlight, and the nutrients in the soil —nothing more. Yet, the trees shine without longing for anything else. Wouldn’t we humans be beautiful, too, if we let go of our greed for more and more?
Kim Sun-ae (blog.naver.com/everythingchanges) wrote “Old Potato, New Potato” and translated “Little Lord Fauntleroy.”