[Joyongjun's Manri Yeo-dam] 14-Hour Struggle, the 'Painful Miracle' of Siru Island That Saved 197 Lives

Siruseom Reborn as a Tourist Attraction
Tourist Site Development Including Suspension Bridge Opening
Hoping to Become a Calm and Resonant Landmark

[Asia Economy Reporter Yongjun Cho, travel specialist] Dodamsambong, Mancheon Skywalk, Namhangang riverside trail, Oksunbong…. Danyang, Chungbuk Province, is a famous tourist destination visited by 10 million people annually. In the Namhangang River there is a small island floating alone. This uninhabited island is Siru Island. It was named after a siru, a round earthenware steamer used for steaming rice cakes or rice.

Siru Island may look insignificant, like traces accumulated over many years, but the residents of Danyang remember it as the Island of Miracles. The reason it is called a miracle is because of the sad story Siru Island holds. The story is engraved in a small park by the Namhangang River under the title "14 Hours of Struggle and the Mother of Endurance."

Going back 50 years in time, Siru Island, which belonged to Jeungdo-ri, Danyang-eup administratively, was once home to 44 households and about 250 people. The island, which prospered as a salt shipping route in the past, suffered a great flood when Typhoon Betty struck on August 19, 1972. The typhoon’s power was so strong that the maximum daily rainfall reached 407.5 mm. Siru Island could not escape Betty. Due to the heavy rain, the Namhangang River overflowed, and the entire island was submerged. Residents fled their homes and desperately tried to escape. The 198 residents who could not evacuate in time barely found refuge on the village’s water tank. They climbed up the ladder one after another. The young men held onto each other tightly from outside to protect the elderly and weak.

Standing atop the water tank, which was 6 meters high and 5 meters in diameter, they clung to each other with all their might to avoid falling and endured the fear for 14 hours.

On the water tank was a woman who had taken refuge holding a toddler just over one year old. During the process of holding each other tightly to endure, the child in the mother’s arms could not withstand the pressure and died. The mother could neither cry nor inform those around her. If panic arose, the formation would break, endangering the lives of the villagers.

The river water rose to the edge of the water tank and then receded, and the long struggle ended with the arrival of the rescue team the next day. The residents who returned from the brink of death wept together upon hearing the story of the child.

People called this event the miracle of Siru Island. However, when part of Siru Island was submerged due to the construction of Chungju Dam in 1985, all the residents left, and the memory gradually faded away.

Now, Siru Island is being reborn after 50 years. This is the Siru Island tourism development project. A suspension bridge will open in the first half of next year. It is a 590-meter-long bridge crossing over Siru Island and the Namhangang River, built to attract tourists. Named the Miracle Bridge, it reflects the story of Siru Island. A walking trail that circles the island will also be created. Moreover, tourism experience programs utilizing water sports and the Siru Island ferry dock are planned to be operated.

However, there are also voices of concern. In recent years, the nationwide boom in building suspension bridges has raised worries that this project might be just another business riding the wave of tourist attraction without deeper substance. Tourism development should be designed to resonate by dressing it in culture and history. It is said that tourist destinations can be created without necessarily building a suspension bridge.

A calm yet moving site that reflects on the humanity and spirit of sacrifice shown by the residents during the great flood 50 years ago is enough. We hope that the sad miracle of Siru Island will be reborn not as just another common tourist spot but as a memorable destination.