Lee Hae-rin is a City Desk reporter at The Korea Times, covering social issues, tourism and taekwondo. She is passionate about speaking up for the rights of minorities, including women, LGBTQ+, people with disabilities and animals as well as discovering the latest makgeolli trend in town. Feel free to reach her at lhr@koreatimes.co.kr.
Firefighter’s death spurs calls to bolster trauma care after disasters
Emergency workers tend to victims of the deadly crowd crush that took place in Seoul's Itaewon district, Oct. 29, 2022. Yonhap
By Lee Hae-rin
Policies lag in offering lasting support for frontline responders
Calls to overhaul and strengthen Korea’s trauma care system have intensified following the recent death of a firefighter who responded to the 2022 Itaewon disaster, highlighting wider concerns over the country’s preparedness for social emergencies.
His death, the 160th official fatality linked to the crowd crush, has renewed criticism of Korea’s failure to provide adequate support for first responders and survivors grappling with long-term psychological trauma, despite its experience with multiple high-profile social disasters in recent decades.
On Thursday, police confirmed that the body of a firefighter found Wednesday in Siheung, Gyeonggi Province, after he had been missing for 10 days, showed no signs of foul play. Authorities said the 30-year-old appeared to have taken his own life, and at the family’s request, an autopsy will not be conducted. He left notes expressing sorrow to loved ones, but no will was discovered.
The firefighter, who had served as a first responder since 2017, was dispatched to the Itaewon disaster site on Oct. 29, 2022.
More than 150 people were killed when a crowd became packed into a narrow, sloped alley near the Hamilton Hotel in central Seoul during post-pandemic Halloween celebrations. Police, stationed nearby amid a drug crackdown ordered by the Yoon Suk Yeol administration, did not successfully control the crowds. In the aftermath, critics said the government repeatedly sidelined both the truth-finding investigation and the safety concerns of survivors, first responders and the bereaved.
According to reports from Yonhap News, the missing 2022 Itaewon disaster first responder has been found dead. Captured from X, formerly Twitter
After the disaster, the firefighter developed depression and received nine psychiatric consultations through the National Fire Agency, which experts said were insufficient.
Psychiatric counselors note that while a dozen sessions may help those coping with acute stress, more severe trauma and depression following such events typically require 24 to 52 sessions.
“If you look at cases abroad, like 9/11, there is no fixed term for treating disaster survivors. Long-term, often indefinite support is essential,” said Dr. Kim Hyun-soo at Myongji Hospital. “National support for disaster trauma must be both extensive and sustained, especially for first responders.”
Government figures indicate that between October 2022 and September 2023, around 1,316 firefighters involved in the Itaewon emergency response received crisis counseling, with 142 receiving in-depth sessions and hospital referrals. Still, many first responders reported limited follow-up and inadequate long-term support.
The firefighter’s death has resonated with other survivors and bereaved families. On Wednesday, a group representing the families mourned his passing and urged authorities to extend trauma care beyond victims to include first responders and local merchants who assisted at the disaster site.
Bereaved family members of the 2022 Itaewon disaster attend a memorial service at Myeongdong Cathedral, Seoul, on July 24, urging the government to build a safer society. Yonhap
Activist groups echoed these concerns, highlighting legal blind spots in Korea’s disaster relief laws.
“Korea’s laws only recognize ‘disaster victims’ in a narrow sense, leaving out the bereaved and traumatized rescuers, witnesses and supporters. There is no clear system to support their mental health and basic rights,” the civic group Life Safety Citizen Net said in a statement.
“After the Sewol Ferry disaster, a rescue diver died from trauma. A firefighter responding to Itaewon now lives apart from his family, working as a manual laborer with his trauma unhealed. The government must pass meaningful safety regulations and recognize the rights and dignity of all affected,” the group said.
Labor unions, including the Korean Government Employees’ Union, demanded sweeping reforms.
“This incident isn’t just one person’s tragedy, it’s a consequence of repeated disasters and the lack of meaningful trauma care for frontline workers. Reforming counseling, boosting mental health resources, improving working conditions and expanding staff are urgent national priorities,” the union said.
Most countries with advanced disaster response systems recognize the risk of trauma for emergency workers and provide a wider range of trauma care options for social disaster responders, compared to Korea.
Notably, countries experienced with such disasters such as the U.S. and Japan, tend to reform their systems. After major disasters such as 9/11 and mass shootings, the U.S. dedicated long-term mental health services for directly affected personnel, including post-traumatic stress disorder treatment, suicide prevention and ongoing monitoring. The National Fallen Firefighters Foundation and other organizations provide trauma care and family support for responders who develop lasting symptoms.
While neighboring Japan also faces challenges in providing long-term trauma care for first responders to disasters, it has improved relief accommodation standards and disaster planning, including mental health support for responding personnel.
Despite experiencing multiple social disasters — including the Seongsu Bridge collapse in 1994, Sampoong Department Store collapse in 1995, Daegu subway fire in 2003, Sewol ferry sinking in 2014 and Itaewon disaster in 2022 — Korea continues to struggle with long-term mental health care for survivors and responders, as well as personnel shortages among frontline staff.
The sloping alleyway in central Seoul's Itaewon where 159 people died in a tragic crowd disaster on Oct. 29, 2022, is seen, July 24, marking 1,000 days since the disaster. Yonhap
President Lee Jae Myung expressed condolences for the death of the firefighter and promised to make efforts to extend support to victims, families and first responders to overcome trauma caused by high-profile disasters.
“Our society has not established a sufficient social safety net and psychological support system needed to fully face and heal from national and collective traumas,” Lee said in a Facebook post Wednesday.
“To address such issues, our society needs to share the pain, recognize our collective responsibility with gravity and join forces for recovery,” he said.