[Bbanggubneun Tajagi] Republic of Korea Has Always Been a 'Disaster Republic'

During the national mourning period following the Itaewon tragedy, citizens continue to visit the memorial space set up around Itaewon Station in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, yesterday. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Song Seung-seop] "According to the National Disaster Safety Research Institute, from 1964 to 2013, there were 276 major disasters with 10 or more deaths. This means such disasters occurred at a rate of about one every two months over 50 years. If we also count tragedies with fewer than 10 victims, the diagnosis that South Korea is a 'disaster republic' is by no means an exaggeration."

Since its founding, South Korea has endured horrific and sorrowful times of tragedy. From the sinking of Namyoungho at the end of 1970, to the Hwaseong Ssiland youth training center fire disaster in 1999, the Daegu subway fire disaster in 2003, the landslide disaster during volunteer work in Chuncheon in 2011, the Sewol ferry sinking in 2014, and the Itaewon crowd crush disaster in 2022.

The book asks why citizens must repeatedly endure the familiar sorrow of disasters and why their safe lives are constantly threatened. The author reveals that major accidents in Korea share a commonality: the absence of the state. The national system, which should prevent crises in advance and swiftly rescue citizens, did not function properly.

Published in 2017, the book meticulously records events surrounding disasters. It documents the causes of accidents found in records, testimonies from victims' families, those responsible for the accidents, politicians, and survivors who were barely rescued. It warns against simplifying or schematizing the problem by blaming it on a few individuals' mistakes or safety negligence. This is not a book that seeks to assign blame and exact revenge on the culprits, but one born from the desire that countless people should never again be injured or killed.

The decades-old records in the book strikingly resemble current situations. In the 1970 Namyoungho maritime accident, up to 337 people died. At 9 a.m., a Japanese patrol boat first reported the accident to the Korean Coast Guard, but there was no response from Korea. The first rescue vessel, Patrol Boat 206, arrived only at 4 p.m. More than 50 years later, during the Itaewon crowd crush disaster, 11 emergency calls were received four hours before the incident, reporting "It feels like we will be crushed," but only four dispatches were actually made.

Even 20 Years Ago, Korean Society Spat Out "Who Told You to Go There?" After a Disaster

Blame was also inevitably placed on individuals. After the Itaewon disaster, remarks like "Who told you to go there in the first place?" flooded in. The same happened in the past. At Hwaseong Ssiland, 23 people, including kindergarten children, died due to illegal buildings, use of flammable materials, and negligence by supervising teachers. The vice governor of Hwaseong County said, "Did I kill the children?" The director of Gyeonggi Province's Women's Bureau said, "Did the government tell you to go there?"

Despite the shock and grief of never seeing loved ones again, it is pointed out that "the bereaved families had to quickly demand, fight, and stage sit-ins." In 2011, during volunteer work in Chuncheon, a landslide killed 13 people, including 10 students from Inha University. Due to conflicts between the investigation committee and Chuncheon City, the investigation committee was disbanded without significant results. The bereaved families had to hold one-person protests and carry funeral bier marches in front of Chuncheon City Hall. Only afterward was it revealed that Chuncheon City had failed to properly issue landslide warnings and evacuate people.

Throughout this process, the bereaved families were repeatedly told, "Is this a political issue? Don't politicize it." During the 2003 Daegu subway disaster, then Daegu Mayor Cho Hae-nyung and former Daegu Subway Corporation President Yoon Jin-tae were reported to the Daegu District Prosecutors' Office on charges of evidence tampering and professional negligence causing death. Despite self-reflection calls, voices emerged in politics saying, "We cannot tolerate political forces trying to exploit Daegu's misfortune politically." Most of the bereaved families in the victims' committee were residents of Daegu and Gyeongbuk who had mostly voted for conservative parties.

Now, statements like "Even if the police were deployed in advance, the disaster could not have been avoided" should no longer be made. Such remarks are tantamount to saying they will watch people die if a similar crowd gathers again. Disasters are not issues that can be resolved simply by identifying causes and handing money to bereaved families. Deaths through the same path must never happen again.

Asking About Disasters | 416 Sewol Ferry Disaster Citizen Records Committee | Seohae Munjip | 311 pages | 13,500 KRW

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.