On day 8th of our travel, we visited the site where the Itaewon crowd crush disaster or 10.29 disaster had happened. In fact, before visiting this place, I remember hearing the devastating news that occurred in Itaewon during the semester and being shocked for a while. Above all, the fact that this tragedy happened in South Korea in the 21st Century awed me the most. In particular, the fact that the victim of the Itaewon incident had many friends and seniors of the same generation as me made me feel even more remorseful.
Previously, I never had the opportunity to visit dark-site where the same age group was victimized, including the Sewol Ferry disaster. By entering the street, where more than 200 people's lives had been lost, I felt many emotions compared to simply watching it from the screen.
The first thought that came to my mind after feeling sorrow and remembrance for those who passed away was a gap between South Korea in my mind and the reality of South Korea. As a student who received public education in Korea, the emphasis on how developed and modern South Korea is in diverse aspects has been pre-formed throughout my academic background.
Nonetheless, looking at the consequences of the government's incapability or lack of control over safety management through my eyes indeed questioned my idea of South Korea. On top of visiting the street, the incident happened, we had the opportunity to visit the victim's family to give the word of remembrance and mourn for them. One thing they mentioned that stuck with me was, "please remember us / the victims." As an individual South Korean citizen and global citizen, that word stood out to me as the significance of remembering the past to prevent the repetition of the disaster.
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