"Setting Aside Our Livelihoods to Stay in Muan, Fearing Our Loved Ones' Deaths Will Be in Vain"
A university student who lost parents in the Jeju Air passenger plane disaster expressed gratitude for the accident compensation and the citizens' fundraising, while appealing, "We are not parasites wasting taxpayers' money."
The urns of the late couple In-gyeong Oh and Seungho Park, who died in the Jeju Air disaster on the 29th of last month. Photo by Geunwoo Park, Facebook capture
On the 11th, university student Park Geun-woo (23) opened up on Facebook, saying, "I lost my beloved mother and father in the recent Jeju Air disaster." Waiting for his parents who were supposed to return after a trip to Thailand on the 29th of last month, Park said, "I received a KakaoTalk message from my mother saying, 'A bird got caught in the wing, so the plane can't land. Should I say my last words?' but I thought, 'No way.'" He added, "As soon as I heard the shocking news, I rushed from Gwangju City to Muan Airport in 30 minutes."
He added, "On the Muan-Gwangju Expressway, there were many people flooring the accelerator like crazy, not just me."
Conversation between Mr. Park and his mother just before the accident. Screenshot from Park Geun-woo's Facebook.
Park continued, "On the 30th, I was able to see my mother again, and on the 31st, my father. Fortunately, both of them returned relatively intact from face to limbs." He said, "Only then did I notice my surroundings. In this bitter cold, the firefighters, police officers, public officials, volunteers, and the representatives of the bereaved families' association who worked hard were all people to be thankful for. Thanks to these kind people, we were able to properly take care of my parents. All of this is a debt I must repay in the future."
He said, "Going forward, this issue will be prolonged and prolonged again due to shifting responsibilities among various parties, political opportunism, and blame games, causing the bereaved families to suffer repeatedly. However, we will not give up and will endure to the end so that these unjust deaths do not go in vain. Continuous attention from fellow citizens is needed throughout this process," he urged.
In particular, regarding the compensation money, he said, "We are not parasites wasting taxpayers' money." He lamented, "Even if accident compensation comes in, that is the price of our family members' lives. Do you think we would want to spend it recklessly?" He added, "When news came out that 3 million won in emergency living expenses was raised through fundraising, a huge number of malicious comments appeared. Each of those comments is a great wound to us," emphasizing, "We are not here to make money."
Park said, "Until yesterday, I was talking to a tax accountant for the first time in my life to settle the business my parents had started, issuing tax invoices, preparing for closure, and driving back and forth over 100 km within Gwangju." He appealed, "I became an orphan, but I have never properly grieved. I feel like I might die crushed by worries about the future. I want to run away somewhere. To make a living, I have to earn money right now."
He explained, "But do you know why we are still at Muan? Because we are afraid that if we are forgotten, everything will be swept under the rug and the deaths of the precious people I lost will become unjust deaths. We hate and fear that, so the bereaved families are here at Muan, putting aside their livelihoods."
Finally, Park said, "Please do not forget Muan Airport and the passenger plane disaster until this accident is fully resolved. Only then can we bury all this sorrow and emptiness deep in our hearts and live well again together with fellow citizens."
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