Real public mourning for Halloween tragedy begins

By Jeon Su-mi

I couldn't help but be devastated at the sight of the student who was in front of me, crying and saying, "Professor, my family member was a victim of the Itaewon disaster. I don't know what to do." Students and foreign friends and others have all become victims of the disaster. The Oct. 29 tragedy flew at me like a dagger.

But grieving couldn't ease my pain, because the state had defined the intensity, scope and period of mourning, and attacked those of us who complained, calling it "politicization of a disaster." However, during the official mourning period and beyond, there is still no one in the government taking responsibility.

Although Article 34 Clause 5 of the Constitution of the Republic of Korea stipulates that the state should make efforts to prevent disasters and protect the people from such dangers, government ministers are evading responsibility, saying, "We did as much as we could," and, "We expected a crowd, but never expected this situation to arise."

Although the state has an unlimited responsibility for the protection and safety of the people's lives, it persists in refusing to admit its mistakes. On the contrary, the day after the disaster, the government did not comfort the bereaved families, but instead conducted an investigation to understand civil society trends, and was concerned that the scale of the public's solidarity in anger would increase due to this disaster. For the rulers, the security of the regime was more important than the safety of the victims.

After the legal review and the appointment of an attorney, the recruitment of the state compensation claim litigation team began on Nov. 8. After disclosing email addresses and office numbers for legal advice, five out of every 10 calls were for consultations with bereaved family or friends of the disaster victims, three were to support our initiative, and two were to abuse or swear at us.

But this lawsuit is not being filed to profit from death, but because I thought it was something I had to do at this time. I received calls for help from victims of the Oct. 29 Halloween disaster, and above all, since there is no one in the government taking responsibility, I think this something I have to do, and so I am doing it. I do not want to be a traitor to history and to conscience.

What I have felt while consulting with the bereaved families is that they are very angry, and at the same time feel helpless and frustrated. During the state-designated mourning period, the bereaved families had no place to express their sorrow for the family members they had suddenly lost. They could not scream out in resentment at the state for not fulfilling its responsibilities. Because of the criticism that they were "politicizing" death, even the victims' families had to hold their breath during the official mourning period.

What the victims' families want is a sincere apology, an investigation into the truth, and punishment for those responsible. The day before the accident, it was predicted that more than 200,000 people would gather, and the Yongsangu head said she would do everything possible to ensure safety, but on the day of the tragedy, she had left for her hometown to promote her achievements.

Four hours before the accident, police control was requested to emergency number 112 and a report that there was likely to be a crowd crush came in, but the Yongsan Police chief incomprehensibly failed to take proper action. On the day of the disaster, the special police department charged the chief of Yongsan Fire Station, which was responsible for managing the situation on the ground, and rushed to shift responsibility.

Such illegal acts based on the irresponsibility, lack of empathy and incompetence of the Korean central government, local government and other public officials are highly likely to be recognized as grounds for state compensation due to intentional or negligent behavior.

The bereaved families, scattered and isolated like islands, feel suffocated and are struggling because there is no channel through which to communicate with each other. So, we are preparing to hold a meeting for the bereaved families at the end of November, a place where bereaved family members can communicate and bond with each other, shed tears and comfort each other.

How can we express in words this sudden pain, the pain of losing precious family members and friends, the despair and sadness of not being able to see those loved ones again? What can ever compensate for that?

Now the official national mourning period is over, and the time for our citizens' mourning has come. May there never be a situation like the Oct. 29 Halloween disaster again, where victims are treated as criminals and have to hold their tongues while the state, the perpetrator, shouts loudly as if it were the embodiment of human rights. From now on, we must listen to the anger and cries of the bereaved families, have an investigation of the truth and see the punishment of those responsible.

Jeon Su-mi (sumijeon@ssu.ac.kr), an attorney, is an invited professor at the Soongsil Institute for Peace and Unification. She was a member of the Presidential Committee on Northern Economic Cooperation. Her areas of specialty includes South Korean politics and foreign policy, North Korea politics and human rights.