Interview with Lee Geunho, Chairman of the Handwritten Letter Movement Headquarters
A Letter That Began After Losing His Son 30 Years Ago
Remembrance Spanning from Sewol Ferry, Itaewon, to Muan Airport
Thousands of Handwritten Letters Filled the Stairs, Leaving Condolences Beyond Words
When asked about the motivation behind starting the Handwritten Letter Movement, Lee Geunho, Chairman of the Handwritten Letter Movement Headquarters, paused for a moment. The act of recalling what led him down this path naturally brought thoughts of his son to mind. After losing his son in an accident more than 30 years ago, he said that even now, on days filled with family laughter like Christmas, he instinctively looks up at the sky. Throughout the interview, his voice broke several times.
He remembered the moment he lost his child as "utterly hopeless." For a long time, he did not know how to go on with life or what to do for his child. At the end of that struggle, he thought of writing letters by hand. The act of writing these letters helped him endure, and he said he is not sure he could have survived as he has without that time. He described handwritten letters as "something as precious as life itself" to him.
He also visited the site during the Sewol ferry disaster in 2014. He said that all the students on the ferry felt like his own children. He went to the site with nothing but some Post-it notes, without any plan. Faced with the overwhelming sadness there, writing a letter by hand was almost the only way he could express his condolences.
Handwritten letters filled the stairs and railings of Muan Airport. Short messages left by bereaved families and citizens overlapped one by one, creating a space of remembrance.
On the morning of January 18, the stairs at Muan International Airport in Jeonnam were decorated as the "Stairs of Remembrance," with handwritten letters attached to commemorate the victims. Photo by Song Bohyun
Right after the recent Jeju Air disaster, he personally prepared materials for handwritten letters and went to Muan Airport. At first, there was no suitable place to write or post the letters. However, overwhelmed by emotion, he called out on the stairs, "Let's write letters by hand," and, as if drawn by his words, people began to approach one by one, writing down their stories and pain. In this way, the stairs naturally became a space for remembrance. Afterwards, he carefully placed each letter in a transparent plastic sleeve to protect them from damage. Thousands of letters accumulated, but he said he could not even estimate the exact number.
He said he was grateful that these letters have been relatively well preserved. He hopes that handwritten letters will not remain just as records, but will serve as a reminder to prevent such tragedies from happening again. At the same time, he hopes they can offer a small measure of healing to wipe away someone’s tears.
Letters of similar sentiment filled the stairs. Some asked their family members in heaven, "Are you doing well?" or pleaded to see their faces just once, even in a dream. There were letters thanking and expressing happiness to mothers who had been by their side for a lifetime, promising to become their mothers’ parents in the next life. Someone wrote that it was their birthday and, at least on that day, they longed to see their loved one. Chairman Lee watched as these letters accumulated one by one.
On the 1st of last month, the bereaved families of the victims of the December 29 passenger plane disaster were preparing to march toward the Yongsan Presidential Office, in front of Yongsan Station in Seoul, demanding "punishment of those responsible and a thorough investigation." Photo by Yonhap News Agency
The story that remained most vivid in his memory was a letter from a daughter who lost her parents in the disaster. She wrote calmly about how, as she was about to get married, she would not be able to hold her father's hand at the wedding. Lee said he still clearly remembers reading that short letter more than ten times.
His conversations with bereaved families at the site were also deep. As a father who had also lost a son in an accident, he said they could understand each other even without words. They spent time together, crying and embracing one another. Although more than ten years have passed since his son left, he said that every March, the month of the accident, his body refuses to cooperate. He feels suffocated and so much pain that even walking becomes difficult. He added that only those who have lost family can truly understand such pain.
Even now, Chairman Lee writes letters to his son. He writes about what happened during the day, and sometimes, after sending a letter about arguing with his wife, he dreams that his son tells him, "Dad, be kind to Mom." At such times, the feeling that his son is still with him becomes clear. He said it is important to think of his son as existing together in his heart, rather than saying he is "gone." The act of writing letters itself is a form of conversation, and that is how he endures each day. His advice is not to think of loved ones as having gone far away to the sky, but to always keep them in your heart, ask after them, and talk to them.
On January 18, black ribbons, wedding veils, and memorial messages were hung on the fence at the site of the December 29 passenger plane disaster at Muan Airport. Photo by Song Bohyun
When asked what is needed to prevent such disasters from recurring, he spoke of "peace" for individuals, families, society, and the nation as a whole. He said that through the Handwritten Letter Movement, he is constantly reminded of how much pain comes when everyday peace is broken. Above all, he emphasized the importance of never forgetting the preciousness of life, and said that those in positions of responsibility must feel the weight of it even more deeply. He added that we must carefully examine each aspect to protect the peace of our social community.
Finally, he left messages for both citizens and bereaved families. To citizens, he asked that, although the end of the year is busy, they pause at least for the first anniversary of the disaster to remember the victims and bow their heads in remembrance. To the bereaved families, he expressed hope that they would escape from this swamp of pain as soon as possible and regain the peace of everyday life. He earnestly prayed that today’s tears and pain would become seeds for a better society.
An artwork depicting a memorial mailbox installed at Muan Airport. It is a piece personally painted by Lee Geunho, Chairman of the Handwritten Letter Movement Headquarters, containing a memorial message.
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