Скачать или смотреть SOUTH KOREA: SEOUL: DEPARTMENT STORE COLLAPSE: 1ST ANNIVERSARY

(29 Jun 1996) Korean/Nat
It's exactly a year since a department store collapsed in the South Korean capital of Seoul, killing more than 500 people.
Over 2,000 rescue workers searched the rubble of the Sampoong Department store for survivors.
One of the three survivors Choi Myung-suk has been reliving the disaster.
Saturday marks the one-year anniversary of the horrifying collapse of a department store in Seoul full of shoppers - mostly mothers and their children.
The store's five storey 'A' wing collapsed completely killing 502 due to faulty construction of the then five-year old building.
Three survivors were pulled from the wreckage one of whom was Choi Myung-suk.
22 year old Choi Myung suk is a second-year college student majoring in construction engineering.
His mother always makes sure that her youngest child starts the day with a good breakfast.
She's grateful that she is still able to cook him his favorite meal.
It was just one year ago that she heard on the radio about the department store where her son was working had collapsed.
Choi worked part time in the basement of the Sampoong Department store in the children's clothing section.
He was sandwiched between the concrete rubble for the next 11 days until his rescue.
SOUNDBITE: (Korean)
\"On the eleventh day, I was just lying there, my mind gone blank. Then I heard sounds and with a loud bang, I saw light. The happiness I felt when I saw the light can't be described in words.\"
SUPERCAPTION: Choi Myung Suk
SOUNDBITE: (Korean)
\"If it wasn't for the news that some friends of mine had died, I would have come out of there walking instead of on the stretcher.\"
SUPERCAPTION: Choi Myung Suk
He doesn't recall what happened when the floor above him collapsed.
He does remember that when he opened his eyes, it was utter darkness and he wasn't sure if he was alive or not.
He used a lighter to see the surrounding area and when he saw that there was no way out, he never used the lighter again.
Choi remained in total darkness and ate nothing.
When he got thirsty, he caught water dripping from the rubble above his head.
He lay either on his back or on his stomach.
There was no room to sit or get up.
He didn't think of dying, he knew he would get out - and made plans for things he would do once he was free.
SOUNDBITE: (Korean)
\"I have changed. I need to study more and I've become more outgoing. I can't just sit and do nothing. It seems such a waste of time. I need to be doing something all the time.\"
SUPERCAPTION: Choi Myung Suk
Choi is surprisingly normal for someone who went through the nightmare that he did.
He has no physical injuries.
He does suffer from blurred night vision but that is the extent of the aftermath of his ordeal.
He was joined by two other survivors, Yoo Ji-hwan, 21, and Park Seung-hyun, 22, when he visited the temporary altar for those who died at Sampoong.
After paying their respects and lighting incense, they went for a closer look at the store.
SOUNDBITE: (Korean)
\"I don't blame anyone for the incident. It's frustrating how and I know a little about this because I am a construction engineer major, to save money, the building was built faulty and not enough building material was used.\"
SUPERCAPTION: Choi Myung Suk
He will always be remembered as one of the survivors of the Sampoong tragedy. But he would rather put that aside.
He doesn't have specific goals yet but what's certain is his determination to make a difference - in the construction engineering business.

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