On the morning of June 29, 72-year-old Kim Dong-hee put on a black dress. The night before, she had dreamed of her younger sister, Song-hee, who wa...
A bereaved family member of the Sampoong Department Store Collapse touches the memorial tower engraved with the names of the victims at Maehon Citizens' Forest in Seocho District, Seoul, on June 29, the 30th anniversary of the tragedy.
/ Reporter Kwon Do-hyun On the morning of June 29, 72-year-old Kim Dong-hee put on a black dress. The night before, she had dreamed of her younger sister, Song-hee, who was a dancer and looked beautiful even in the dream. Holding on to the memory of her sister, Kim headed to Maehon Citizens' Forest in Yangjae-dong, Seocho District, Seoul. There stands a memorial tower honoring the victims of the Sampoong Department Store collapse where Song-hee’s name is engraved as well. She died in the disaster 30 years ago. At 11 a.m. that day, the Disaster Victims’ Rights Center “With Us” and the Bereaved Families’ Association for the Sampoong Department Store Collapse held a memorial ceremony in front of the tower. The event marked the 30th anniversary of the collapse, which occurred on June 29, 1995. Dressed in black with pink ribbons, bereaved family members sat on chairs or mats in front of the monument. Throughout the ceremony, they wiped away tears, mourning their lost loved ones. The collapse remains the deadliest single-incident disaster in Korea's history. The five-story building with four underground levels began to tilt from the left at 5:57 p.m. and completely crumbled in just 20 seconds. A total of 502 people were killed, six remain missing, and 937 were injured. Investigations revealed that poor construction and bribery among government officials had contributed to the tragedy. Although decades have passed, the pain lingers for the bereaved. According to a recent survey by the Disaster Victims’ Rights Center “With Us” on the 30th anniversary of the tragedy, 63 percent of the bereaved family members continue to experience recurring anger, helplessness, and other emotional struggles. About 82.3 percent said they had never received professional psychological support after the incident. One bereaved woman, surnamed Kim, 59, who lost her husband in the collapse, said, “I still cannot go into basements, and I sleep with my doors open.” She added, “After losing my husband, my entire family fell apart. We never received any official support, so I had to pay for therapy myself.” Kim Dong-hee also recalled, “My sister’s body was recovered near the end of the search. That is when my hair turned white. I still suffer from trauma, and I miss her terribly,” she said with tears in her eyes. The bereaved families said that the fundamental structures of society that allow such tragedies to occur have not changed. Kim Yoon-ah, 72, who lost her daughter, said, “We’ve had the Sewol ferry disaster, Itaewon crowd crush, and the Jeju Air crash at the Muan International Airport, but disasters keep happening. Even after 30 years, I don't think much has changed.” Lee Myung-hee, 52, said, “Whenever I walk into a big building, I still think, ‘What if this one collapses too?’ Our society still doesn’t prioritize safety or human lives.” 사회 많이 본 기사 A recent survey conducted by the Korean Construction Workers’ Union, targeting 1,062 construction workers, found that 81.7 percent believe a disaster like the Sampoong Department Store collapse could happen again. Workers pointed to industry practices like using cheap materials and rushing construction timelines in the name of competition and profit as key risk factors. The memorial ceremony was also attended by Sewol ferry victims’ families and members of the public, all of whom emphasized the importance of “remembering.” Kang So-yeon, 44, said, “It pained me to hear that the bereaved families feel like they’re being forgotten. Since tragedies keep recurring, we as a society must make efforts to remember the Sampoong Department Store collapse.” Choi Soon-hwa, 61, a bereaved family member of the Sewol ferry tragedy, added, “The first thing you can do for the bereaved families of the disasters is to listen to their stories. We should stay interested in how they are living after the tragedies, and continue to remember them.” ※This article has undergone review by a professional translator after being translated by an AI translation tool.
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