"Voice Messages Still Coming to Daughter's Phone from When She Went to Itaewon"

10·29 Tragedy Victim Lee Haerin's Father
"My Daughter Was an ICU Nurse... Her Mother Was Also a Nurse"

"My wife has a habit in the morning. Whether she wakes up or comes home from work, it has become a habit for our Haerin to check her phone. Even now, messages from friends, younger siblings, club activities, and sometimes voice messages or voice calls, possibly after drinking, keep coming in."

On the 12th, Lee Jong-min, father of the late Lee Hae-rin, a victim of the October 29 Itaewon tragedy, said this in an interview with MBC Radio's 'Kim Jong-bae's Focus'. Lee explained, "I am happy and always grateful that there are still friends who remember and do not forget our Haerin."

Lee has not canceled his daughter's phone. Although she passed away in the Itaewon tragedy on October 29 last year, greetings from those who remember her continue.

The site where the Itaewon tragedy occurred on October 29 last year. / Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

Lee said, "At some point, won't it be forgotten? Messages have become less frequent, and I am waiting for the time when I have to cancel it someday," adding, "Most of the friends' messages say things like 'I miss you,' 'I love you,' 'It's hard without you,' and 'I'm getting married.'"

His daughter worked as a third-year nurse in the cardiac intensive care unit at a university hospital in Incheon. She was 26 years old at the time of the accident. Lee shared the story behind his daughter becoming a nurse.

"Her mother was a nurse. Maybe it was because of her influence, but when she was in high school preparing for college entrance exams, she first told us she wanted to become a nurse. She said she would apply to the nursing department. We thought that was very admirable. We also believed that if our children went into professional careers, it would be beneficial for their future, so we supported her a lot."

Lee said he cried a lot thinking about his daughter on Parents' Day, May 8.

Recalling the day of the Itaewon tragedy, Lee said, "The last photo on her phone was taken around 9:30 p.m. I think she was swept up in the crowd around 10 p.m. She was holding hands with two friends, but they lost hands in the crowd. Our daughter became a star, but fortunately, the friend who went with her survived. It might have been her first and last festival."

Lee said, "After the accident on the 29th, we received a call from the police station at 1 a.m. on the 30th. We are from Mokpo. After the call, we went straight to Hanyang University Hospital and arrived around 5 a.m. to identify our child. I asked the investigating officer how they confirmed her identity. She had no belongings at all. They identified her by fingerprints."

Lee said, "Since we are from Mokpo, it was far, so we told Haerin's coworkers not to come, but maybe my niece and second child posted on Instagram and Facebook. Although she lived a short life of 26 years, I was very surprised by how many people came from all over the country during the three-day funeral," adding, "I want to express my gratitude once again to those people through this broadcast."