"Youngest Late-born Daughter, Only Screams... Pulse Until 0:11 AM"

Mother of 10·29 Tragedy Victim Choi Hyeri
MBC Radio Kim Jong-bae's Focused View Interview
"Daughter's Graduation in February... I Feel Like Tears Will Fall"

"(My daughter's friend) called after 1 a.m., crying. She said she lost her sister's hand and couldn't find her..."

On October 29th last year, Kim Young-nam, the mother who lost her youngest daughter, Choi Hyeri, in Itaewon, Seoul, recalled the situation like this. In an interview with MBC Radio's 'Kim Jong-bae's Focus' on the 20th, the mother spoke about the story of losing her beloved youngest daughter in the heart of Seoul.

The mother’s home is in Gangneung.

In the early morning of October 30th last year, the mother came up to Seoul after receiving a call from her daughter's acquaintance. Her daughter was lying deceased at Dongguk University Hospital in Ilsan, Goyang, Gyeonggi Province. The mother, who lost her youngest daughter, still travels between Gangneung and Seoul two or three times a week. She takes the train to Seoul to remember her daughter and that day.

The mother had her last phone call with her daughter the day before she passed away.

On the 16th, marking the start of the focused memorial period ahead of the first anniversary of the Itaewon tragedy, a foreigner is seen looking at the portraits of the victims at the altar in front of Seoul City Hall Plaza. Photo by Huh Younghan younghan@

"The call came at 10:33 p.m., and I heard what sounded like screams or shouting, but I couldn’t understand her voice. At first, I thought there might have been a mix-up, but I felt uneasy. I wondered if she had passed by a fight scene or something. I was so anxious that I kept calling 'Hyeri, Hyeri' for almost a minute, but there was no answer. Only screams could be heard..."

Neither the mother nor the daughter could have imagined that this call would be their last connection at the crossroads of life and death. The mother does not know exactly when her daughter's life ended. However, the smartwatch records suggest that she might have been alive until 12:11 a.m. the next day, well past the last call at 10:33 p.m. on October 29th.

The daughter was wearing a smartwatch that day, and it recorded her pulse until 12:11 a.m. on the 30th.

The mother said, "It’s so frustrating because there’s no confirmation of any emergency treatment she might have received. Looking at her condition, it seems like she didn’t receive any rescue measures. She was still wearing the same clothes, and there were no signs of any intervention."

On the 16th, marking the start of the focused memorial period ahead of the first anniversary of the Itaewon tragedy, foreigners are seen looking at the portraits of the victims at the altar in front of Seoul City Hall Plaza. Photo by Heo Younghan younghan@

Since her second year in college, the daughter had chosen a double major. She tried photography and various experiences but found that spatial design suited her aptitude. The mother said, "She wanted to try an internship before graduation, but she got a full-time position. After the three-month probation period, she was assigned a project and was very excited and hopeful."

The daughter could not fulfill her dreams. Her life record was cut short at a very young age. Her university graduation ceremony was in February this year. The mother could not attend. She said, "I didn’t have the courage to go. I thought I would just cry too much, and the atmosphere would be too somber in a place where everyone else should be happy."

The mother visits the memorial hall to see her daughter. She said, "It’s unbelievable that the child I used to talk to and video call every day is inside that urn. I just cry, can’t accept reality, feel dazed, and wonder if she’s okay or comfortable. So I ask her to appear in my dreams." Although the mother wants to meet her daughter even in dreams, she has not yet been reunited with her there.

One year has passed, and that day is approaching again. For many bereaved families, including Kim Young-nam, it is an unforgettable day. Some of them are still immersed in grief, unable to sort out their family members’ belongings or clean their rooms in Itaewon. A first anniversary memorial event will be held at 5 p.m. on the 29th in front of Seoul City Hall. The Itaewon disaster site will be reorganized as a space called '10·29 Memory and Safety Road.'

Over the past year, countless people have visited the Itaewon disaster site. They left memorial messages. Some brought flowers. Many citizens who could not go to Itaewon shared their condolences. Their messages were unanimous: a vow not to forget. Has our society kept that promise?

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