South Korean society and mental health after Itaewon Halloween disaster

이태원 참사 이후, 한국 사회와 심리

Over 117-thousand people visited memorials installed in Seoul to pay their respects to the 156 people who died in the tragic accident that occurred last month in the nightlife district of Itaewon.
It's an incident that is difficult to process for the Korean public.
We discuss how society is trying to make sense of what happened and processing the overwhelming sadness of losing our young.
Joining us today is Dr. SONG Se-ryun, Professor of Law at Kyung Hee University and Dr. CHEY Jean-yung, President of Korean Psychological Association.

1. Professor Song: The police reportedly received dozens of calls asking them to intervene and people actually worried there would be a mass accident. How do you think this will be investigated, and if they were found to have been negligent, what would be the consequences?

2. Prof. chey: There’s been a great focus on mental health in the aftermath of this incident. There’s more support such as counseling for those who were not only there but also journalists and people who have been affected emotionally. That’s a welcome development, isn’t it?
If you could tell us about the importance of taking a society-wide approach to this incident in particular?

3. Prof. Chey: It seems almost selfish to admit we are struggling to process this incident, when we weren’t directly affected. And whether it's for self-preservation or due to unawareness, some of us don’t acknowledge that we have, in fact, been affected. Is this common? Why is it important to seek help?

4. Professor Song:The administration seems to be doing all it can to show that they are doing their best to respond quickly and transparently but, naturally, many are enraged over what happened and some groups held rallies over the weekend. Protesters are calling on the administration to better serve young people in Korea. They’re angry about the failures of past governments, most recently the Moon Jae-in administration, in delivering social equality and justice. In what ways have the youth been neglected?

5. Professor Song:While pressure, of course, is needed, to what extent can the new administration take responsibility, and is there a danger of this turning political?

6. Prof. Chey: Many people are confused and angry as they try to make sense of this accident. While these are natural emotions, how can we start to process these complex emotions instead of finding people to blame, or falling into despair?

7. Professor Song: How should the investigation process be conducted and concluded, in order to restore the public’s confidence? How might public safety laws change after this incident?

8.Prof. Chey: What further systematic measures are needed to help the whole of society process this tragedy mentally and emotionally?

Dr. SONG Se-ryun, Professor of Law at Kyung Hee University and Dr. CHEY Jean-yung, President of Korean Psychological Association.
Thank you for your time today.

#SouthKorea #Itaewon #Arirang_News

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2022-11-07, 09:30 (KST)