The Chonnam Tribune listened to students’ opinions on two social issues. What do you think about these issues? – Ed.
156 people were crushed to death during a Halloween celebration in the Itaewon area of Seoul on October 29. I think the crowd crush accident, “Itaewon disaster”, occurred in a narrow alley for many reasons. First of all, the on-site management and control in preparation for safety and accident prevention had not been carried out at all, even though a massive number of people were expected to flock there to enjoy the festivities as it was the first Halloween celebration without social distancing in three years since the spread of COVID-19. It caused massive casualties. It is regrettable that the government was ill-prepared for the crowd crush that was absolutely predictable and avoidable.
The more I looked up the news about the disaster, it became clearer and clearer that this disaster could have been prevented. The government should have controlled the number of people at the festival sites in the district. The police should have deployed additional officers to Itaewon as soon as there were signs of a crisis. Four hours before the disaster, there was a report call with the expression "pressure death." Even though there were at least 11 calls reporting the massive crowds, there were no countermeasures from the police. It appears that more effort is needed from the government as these disasters are happening repeatedly seven years after the Sewol ferry disaster. It is a top priority to remove factors that would occur as much as possible by strengthening related regulations and enacting laws. I think the government should take responsibility for these areas and actively intervene. For example, if there were more than five people per square meter at an event, the government should have canceled the event. The government authorities must take responsibility for this disaster. Their avoidance of responsibility and excuses only mean that these tragedies will continue after the Itaewon disaster.
By Hong Ju-yeon, Student Editor