Beyond the Alley: 25 Families Share Their Stories of Love, Loss, and Resilience in the Aftermath of Itaewon
◀ Anchor ▶
Today, two days before the second anniversary of the Itaewon disaster, the stories of 25 bereaved families were revealed.
The bereaved families’ records of the past 730 days were included in a book titled.
Reporter Go Byeong-chan visited the book talk site.
◀ Report ▶
The desperate moments after the Itaewon disaster and the days when I couldn’t escape the sadness.
The bereaved families calmly expressed what they had in their hearts in the oral collection.
[김남희/고 신애진 씨 어머니]
“After Ae-jin left, I couldn’t believe it. I think it’s been about 100 days since I was alone in my sorrow.”
I also recalled painful memories of fighting against a government that did not even offer the slightest apology and secondary perpetrators who used abusive language.
[유형우/고 유연주 씨 아버지]
“We struggled with our emotions after doing the five-point fighting spirit, three steps and one bow, 159 bows and 15,000 bows. Our legs were numb and we fell down the stairs. This is how parents are acting for our children.”
The number of foreigners who lost their lives in the disaster was 26 from 14 countries.
A mother whose son died in a foreign country expressed her feelings that she was still left in a tunnel of helplessness and darkness.
[구술집 중]
“They took the sleep from my eyes and filled your place with tears, sighs and sorrow. Mom’s heart and soul are buried with you, Ali.”
At the book talk held two days before the second anniversary of the Itaewon disaster, participating citizens said they would continue the journey to find the truth with the bereaved families until the end.
[김은비/서울 은평구]
“I think these records are very important because the books contain the stories of those who are fighting to reveal the truth.”
The bereaved families hope that the next book talk will be attended by more survivors and that some of the truth of that day will be included.
[김남희/고 신애진 씨 어머니]
“If the 3rd anniversary includes the various perspectives of survivors, injured, victims, and nearby merchants who have not been able to come forward so far…”
This is Go Byeong-chan from MBC News.
Video coverage: Wi Dong-won / Video editing: Lim Hye-min
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