"Truth Investigation as Healing"... Itaewon National Assembly Inquiry Stained with Tears

Itaewon Disaster National Investigation Final Public Meeting
Criticism of Response and Immediate Management Failures
Adoption of Final Report Scheduled for the 17th

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jun-yi] "I will go to Itaewon again this year. We must return to our daily lives, and no matter how much I think about it, neither Itaewon nor Halloween did anything wrong."

On the 12th, at the 2nd public hearing of the Itaewon disaster parliamentary investigation held at the National Assembly, survivor Kim Chorong spoke with a trembling voice. She said, "No matter how much I personally try through treatment and counseling, the society that never changes and the repeated outrageous remarks nullify all my efforts," adding, "For those who have experienced a disaster like this, nothing heals better than uncovering the truth."

While expressing the difficulty of returning to daily life after the disaster, she said that what helps overcome it is the belief that the government and political circles will properly carry out the truth-finding and follow-up measures.

The public hearing that day was stained with tears. Whenever survivors and bereaved families spoke, other bereaved families, survivors, merchants attending the hearing, as well as ruling and opposition members of the special committee on the investigation, burst into tears.

Jomi-eun, a witness of the Itaewon disaster, is shedding tears at the National Assembly on the 12th during the public hearing of the Special Committee on the Itaewon Disaster National Investigation. At the hearing, testimonies related to the disaster were heard from eight bereaved families, two survivors, and two local merchants from the Itaewon area. Photo by Yoon Dong-ju doso7@

That day was the last public occasion before the adoption of the final report on the 17th where committee members and bereaved families could gather. The bereaved families and survivors held back their tears and clearly conveyed their opinions to the committee members. A survivor who requested anonymity pointed out that the number of rescue personnel dispatched to the scene was insufficient, mentioning that he lost his fianc?e, whom he was supposed to marry this year.

He said, "I wonder what kind of report the initial responders received and why only a small number were dispatched," adding, "If specialized personnel had been assigned to each injured person, perhaps even one more life could have been saved."

There was also testimony about inadequate management of the injured and deceased after the accident. Seo Ihyun, a bereaved family member, said that after receiving a call that her younger sibling who was involved in the disaster was missing, she headed to Itaewon but found no institution providing information on identity verification and patient transport. Seo said, "At first, I thought lists of the injured and deceased would be released through the news as soon as identities were confirmed," but "the news only repeated the same content, and the Hannam-dong community center did not explain to families at all how identity verification and transport of the injured and deceased were being handled."

She also pointed out that there was no communication from the government regarding psychological treatment and medical expense support for bereaved families after the disaster. She said, "Why can't they provide guidance and care before we have to ask and search for it?" and "It has been 76 days since the disaster, but the government has never officially met with or apologized to the bereaved families even once."

Lee Jeong-min, vice representative of the Itaewon Disaster Bereaved Families Association, criticized the response immediately after the disaster, saying, "Why were the victims' clothes all removed without the consent of the bereaved families, autopsies conducted urgently, drug stories mentioned, and the memorial altar operated without confirming with the families? Why was the preparation and response such a mess?" and asked, "What was the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters doing?" He also questioned the ruling and opposition lawmakers, "Are you really conducting investigations to uncover the truth?"

Lee Jong-cheol, representative of the Bereaved Families Association, pointed out the issue of secondary harm. He said, "It is said that one survivor passed away due to secondary harm, suffering from online posts insulting the deceased friend amid the government's absence," adding, "Even now, many bereaved families are suffering from secondary harm. Are you going to continue neglecting us?"

He continued, "Watching the parliamentary investigation, we bereaved families felt great disappointment and frustration," saying, "Institutions submitting false or incomplete data or not submitting data at all, the Prime Minister not even attending, witnesses giving false or evasive answers, it was a very frustrating ordeal. What was even more frustrating was that some committee members used the precious time of the parliamentary investigation not to uncover the truth but for political strife."

He urged, "I hope the National Assembly responds to the desperate pleas of the bereaved families," and added, "Once again, to prevent such a disaster from happening again, committee members must work hard so that the executive branch can sincerely serve the people and that such public officials can survive."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

"Only when a satisfactory level of truth-finding is achieved can bereaved families truly recover their daily lives."

Nam In-seok, a merchant running a store in an Itaewon alley, also expressed his emotional pain, saying, "Young people came to Itaewon to freely enjoy themselves and have fun, but I couldn’t stop it, and I saw that death right in front of my house. I couldn’t sleep at all, and from that day until the 49th day memorial, I stayed there with those kids," adding, "It’s very hard." He appealed to the lawmakers, "Please don’t make the bereaved families so sad, listen sincerely to what is right and what is true, and make sure that these deaths are not in vain."

Seven officials from the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, Ministry of Health and Welfare, Seoul Metropolitan Government, Yongsan District Office, National Police Agency, and National Fire Agency attended the public hearing. They listened to the demands of the bereaved families and survivors and promised, "We will do our best."

The special committee on the parliamentary investigation, whose activity period ends on the 17th, has only the final step of adopting the result report left after concluding the 2nd public hearing that day. The committee plans to organize and record the facts and responsibilities of the disaster collected through previous public hearings, hearings, and expert meetings in the final report. However, it is expected that disputes over responsibility between the ruling and opposition parties will continue during this process.