Itaewon Disaster Survivor: "The Problem Is Not the System but the People Making Decisions Above It"

Kim Chorong Appears on CBS Radio, Responds to Questions on Government Response
"Problems Arise from Lack of Understanding of Young Generation's Play Culture and Lifestyle"

Memorial space for the victims of the Itaewon disaster set up at Exit 1 of Itaewon Station, Yongsan-gu, Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Jung-wan] A survivor of the Itaewon tragedy stated, "The problem is not the system, but the people who make decisions above it." Kim Chorong (33), a survivor of the Itaewon disaster, appeared on CBS Radio's 'Park Jae-hong's One-on-One Match' on the 9th and made this remark in response to the question, "What was shocking or embarrassing about the government's disaster response?"

She said that she entered the road near the scene around 9:20 p.m. on the day of the disaster, October 29. Kim said, "At that time, I didn't feel it was serious. It was usually this crowded," adding, "When I arrived at the T-junction where the accident happened, I did start to think something was strange." She recalled that although the crowd was so dense that "there was a moment when my feet didn't touch the ground," she thought, "It usually disperses, so it will ease up soon."

Kim revealed that after being stuck for several tens of minutes, a bar owner opened the door, allowing her to evacuate. She was able to leave the scene only at 1 a.m. She recalled the situation, saying, "Will I ever be able to see people lying on the street for the rest of my life? Even after seeing it, I couldn't believe it," and "There were many crying sounds here and there, so I think I was in a daze continuously."

Fortunately, she said there were no physical injuries but expressed psychological distress. Kim said, "I believed I was getting better, but suddenly, without any reason, I get down again," and "I feel like I'm going back to the same place repeatedly."

Kim argued that the cause of the Itaewon tragedy was not a collapse of the system. She said, "People say there was no control tower and the safety system collapsed, but is our country really that bad?" She added, "There are many closed-circuit (CCTV) cameras, and when you call 112, you get a reply within seconds, and police officers arrive within a minute. If the problem is resolved, they immediately send a text message with the result."

She continued, "I have never thought that the system collapsed," and pointed out, "The problem is not the system but what kind of thoughts the people making decisions above it have." She added, "Honestly, I think it’s because they didn’t consider going out in Itaewon as such an important matter."

She criticized, "The reason they couldn’t predict how big an accident would happen in Itaewon is because they didn’t try to understand or learn about this play culture, meaning what young people nowadays think, what kind of lifestyle they have, and where they go." She added, "Because there was an underlying thought of 'It’s not my responsibility since the accident happened while they were playing,' even though the accident happened in Itaewon, they walked there slowly, and strange apologies came out."

Kim said, "In some ways, their sensitivity keeps declining," and criticized, "If they had properly recognized, empathized, and had sensitivity, they would have said, 'Young people are so enthusiastic about this place. Then many people will gather here. Let’s pay more attention to this place.'" She also said, "Even if an accident happened despite that, they would have naturally acted like, 'The accident happened because we didn’t pay enough attention,' and 'We apologize for not paying more attention to this part.'"

Regarding President Yoon Suk-yeol’s apology, saying, "As the president responsible for the lives and safety of the people, I feel deeply sorrowful and sorry," Kim questioned, "Isn’t everyone sorry?" She added, "The person apologizing should specify what they are sorry for," and criticized, "I think 'I am sorry' and 'I regret it' are not that different."

Meanwhile, on the 4th, at the 'Itaewon Accident Memorial Buddhist Service' held at Jogyesa Daewoongjeon in Jongno, Seoul, President Yoon said, "As the president responsible for the lives and safety of the people, I feel deeply sorrowful and sorry," and added, "As the grief and pain run deep, I am fully aware that the responsibility to handle the accident responsibly and, above all, to prevent such tragedies from happening again lies heavily on me and the government."

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