Sudden Removal of Citizen Memorial Altar... Resident Protests at Cheongju Osong Underpass

Clash and Physical Confrontation with Cheongju City Hall Employees
Bereaved Families "Surprise Removal of Memorial Altar on 49th Day Ceremony"

Bereaved families of the Cheongju Osong Underpass disaster and others protested the removal of the victim memorial altar and demanded a meeting with Cheongju Mayor Lee Beom-seok. During their attempt to enter the city hall, they clashed physically with city hall employees trying to block them.

The Cheongju Osong Underpass Disaster Bereaved Families Association and the Citizens' Countermeasure Committee held a press conference in front of Cheongju City Hall on the 4th, stating, "Chungbuk Province and Cheongju City suddenly dismantled the memorial altar on the night of the 49th day memorial service of the Osong disaster on the 1st," and added, "We will hold them accountable."

On the morning of the 4th, members of the Osong Disaster Citizens' Countermeasures Committee, after finishing a press conference in front of Cheongju City Hall, were blocked while trying to enter the city hall to meet Mayor Lee Beom-seok. 2023.9.4 [Photo by Yonhap News]

They said, "The memorial altar is not only a place to mourn the victims of the disaster but also a symbolic space for disaster recovery, investigation of the truth, punishment of those responsible, and prevention of recurrence," urging, "Maintain the memorial altar until the truth of the Osong disaster is revealed." They also demanded, "The Governor of Chungbuk Province and the Mayor of Cheongju City publicly apologize to the bereaved families and citizens for dismantling the altar and establish an independent Osong Disaster Truth Investigation Committee."

Earlier, on the 1st at around 8:20 p.m., the province and city dismantled the victim memorial altar installed on the first floor of the city-owned Urban Regeneration Hub Center. Although the province and the bereaved families had agreed to operate the memorial altar until the 49th day memorial service on the 1st, the Bereaved Families Association recently conveyed to Mayor Lee that "it would be good if the city took over the operation of the memorial altar so that mourners could continue to visit."

However, the city stated that maintaining the memorial altar was difficult due to issues such as the operation of the Urban Regeneration Support Center and proposed relocating the altar to the second floor of the center, but this was not accepted by the bereaved families. The bereaved families are demanding the first floor of the center or a third location. Negotiations broke down, and ultimately the city dismantled the altar on the 1st.

On that day, about 50 bereaved families and others protested the dismantling of the memorial altar and demanded a meeting with the mayor. During their attempt to enter the city hall, they engaged in physical confrontations with city officials. When access to the mayor’s office was blocked, the bereaved families staged a sit-in on the city hall stairs and entrance.

As the standoff continued, the bereaved families and the Citizens' Countermeasure Committee held a meeting with Cheongju Deputy Mayor Shin Byung-dae around noon. It is reported that no conclusion has yet been reached regarding the extension of the memorial altar’s operation.

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