Hong Jun-pyo Hints at Absence from '20th Anniversary of Subway Disaster'... Angered Bereaved Families

Hong Indicates Non-attendance at Subway Disaster 20th Anniversary Event
"Other Groups Attending Memorial? ... Politicizing the Disaster"
"Interpreting Attendance as Political Conflict Is Politicization"

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Joo-hee] Hong Joon-pyo, mayor of Daegu Metropolitan City, hinted at his absence from the 20th anniversary memorial ceremony for the Daegu subway disaster scheduled for the 18th. The reason is that other civic groups, including families of the Sewol Ferry and Itaewon disasters and the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), gather at the memorial event, which he views as turning the tragedy into a 'political tool.'

On the 15th, Mayor Hong wrote on Facebook, "It is not right to use the Daegu subway disaster, which happened over 20 years ago, as a tool for political strife now," and added, "It is inappropriate for the Sewol Ferry and Itaewon disaster families, the KCTU, and others to gather and try to steer the Daegu subway disaster memorial ceremony, held annually, in a strange direction."

He stated, "The wounds from the Daegu subway disaster have mostly healed thanks to the public donations and the sincere efforts of Daegu citizens," and added, "To ensure the tragedy is not forgotten, a Citizen Safety Theme Park was also created as a lesson, and efforts are being made to prevent such social disasters from happening again in Daegu. Compensation and restitution have been sufficiently provided, and those responsible have already been punished."

Hong Joon-pyo, Mayor of Daegu.
Photo by Yonhap News

He continued, "In the future, a bereaved families committee, in which only the families of the disaster victims can participate, will be established, and if there are individuals who do not qualify as bereaved families, exclusion procedures will be pursued." Mayor Hong also announced that instead of attending the memorial event, he plans to visit the disaster site, Jungangno Station, to lay flowers.

The Daegu subway disaster memorial ceremony has been held annually. Except for 2021 and 2022, when Vice Mayor attended instead of Mayor Kwon Young-jin, most previous mayors have participated in the event.

The disaster victims' countermeasure committee expressed disbelief at Mayor Hong's indication of absence. They argued that the claim that the memorial event has been politicized is untrue and rather accused Mayor Hong of making partisan interpretations.

On the 16th, Yoon Seok-gi, chairman of the Daegu subway disaster victims' countermeasure committee, said in an interview with MBC Radio's 'Focus on Kim Jong-bae,' "Ceremonies for life events are the most universally accepted human behavior, where people cry together in sorrow and celebrate together in joy," and added, "I think attaching any interpretation or judgment based on who attends or not is rather a partisan use."

He said, "Whether it is labor unions, civil society, or ordinary citizens, if many people come to the memorial, it should be accepted that many have warm hearts," and questioned, "Former President Park Geun-hye also attended without fail during her time as party leader, and many lawmakers from the Grand National Party and People Power Party also visited the memorial. Does that mean they also came as tools of political strife or partisan interests?"

Chairman Yoon also suggested that Mayor Hong's remark about "excluding those who do not qualify as bereaved families" seemed directed at him. Yoon lost his sister in the Daegu subway disaster, and it appears the issue is about non-immediate family members participating in the disaster countermeasure committee.

Yoon explained, "I was initially nominated as the committee chairman but declined due to the issue of whether I was an immediate or collateral family member. However, the vast majority of bereaved families nominated me, and I temporarily took the position before becoming the official chairman. I have handled all necessary official agreements with Daegu City."

Daegu City and the bereaved families of the Daegu subway disaster have long been in conflict over memorial projects. The families have requested renaming the cemetery and memorial park (Daegu Citizen Safety Theme Park), where the 32 victims are buried, to include names such as '2·18,' 'Daegu Subway Disaster,' and 'Memorial' to reflect the memorial significance, but this has not been pursued due to local residents' opposition.

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