Modern Korea was shaped as much by its disasters as its achievements. The 21st century started with fires and serial killers as disasters went from a macro to a human level.
- (1999) Sealand Youth Training Centre – 23 killed
- (1999) Inchon bar fire – 65 killed
- (2003) Daegu subway fire – 192 killed
- (2003-2004) Yu Yeong-cheol – 20 killed
- (2008) Fire in refrigeration distribution warehouse under construction – 40/57 killed
- (2008) Namdaemun fire
- (2008) Nonhyeon-dong massacre – 6 killed
- (2014) Sewol Ferry – 304 killed
- (2016) Gangnam bathroom murder
- (2017) Jecheon fire – electrical fire in a gym “Noble Fitness and Spa” – 29 killed
Part of the Korean Disasters Series:
Disasters that Shaped Modern Korea (1950s-70s)
Disasters that Shaped Modern Korea (1980s)
“The Disaster Republic”: Disasters that Shaped Modern Korea (1990s)
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NOTES
We’re not going to cover them all.
(June 30, 1999) Sealand Youth Training Centre – 23 killed
- Background
- Hwaseong
- Steel-framed, reinforced concrete
- Additional space – stacked cargo containers covered with wood and corrugated iron with flammable styrofoam ceilings
- No fire safety measures
- No sprinkler system
- Most extinguishers not working
- No fire alarm
- Bad exits
- Two with narrow stairways
- BUT–had passed fire safety inspections twice
- Disaster
- Lit mosquito coil shortly after midnight
- Late responders – 12:30 a.m. fire / 1:30 a.m. alarm at fire station / arrived 2:00 a.m.
- Took 50 hours to get under control
- 19 children, 4 adults died
- 18 children from Somang Kindergarten
- Most sleeping in room 301
- Took two weeks to identify all the bodies
- 18 children from Somang Kindergarten
- Aftermath
- Sealand Park owner and six Hawseong officials charged with involuntary manslaughter & violation of building laws PLUS bribery charges
- Also borrowed a construction designer’s construction license
- Four architects and builders were also arrested
- Somang Kindergarten officials arrested
- Were off drinking rather than watching their children
- Outcry – Greater enforcement of safety standards
- Sealand Park owner and six Hawseong officials charged with involuntary manslaughter & violation of building laws PLUS bribery charges
(Oct 30, 1999) Incheon bar fire – 65 killed
- Background
- 3rd worst fire in modern history
- 3-story wood and brick building
- Restaurant on first floor
- Illegal hof on second floor (Live 2 Hof House)
- Eight days prior – police had ordered it shut down
- No license
- Spot check – thought it was closed
- Likely tipped off
- “Every time the police had a surprise inspection, the owner kicked the children out and shut down the bar,” Ko Kyung Mi said. “But I am sure that the police knew about the situation.”
- Many under aged (97 of 129 known victims)
- Youngest killed was 13
- High school students coming from a high school festival
- Many still had on their uniforms
- Disaster
- Cause – Basement noraebang
- Undergoing renovation
- Two teenage part-time students playing with fire
- Extinguished in the room, but inter-wall materials spread the fire throughout the building
- Door locked from outside
- Overheard owner told staff to lock the doors and not let anyone out until they paid for their drinks
- Then left
- Similarities to Sampoong?
- More than 100 trapped inside
- Overheard owner told staff to lock the doors and not let anyone out until they paid for their drinks
- Most deaths from smoke inhalation on 2nd floor beer hall and 3rd floor billiard room (NBA Billiards)
- Poor fire codes
- Windows couldn’t open and were almost indestructible
- 3rd floor was able to break the windows
- Narrow corridors and stairs
- Stairs were a chimney
- One small exit
- No sprinklers
- Removed during renovation
- Windows couldn’t open and were almost indestructible
- Fire extinguishers, but happened so fast that people couldn’t use them
- Cause – Basement noraebang
- Aftermath
- Worst fire since the ‘70s
- Building owner jumped from the 3rd floor and survived with injuries
- Pub owner and four workers arrested
- Owner tried to run away but turned himself in
- Five years in prison
- Went into ministry and tried to become a Christian singer
- Owner tried to run away but turned himself in
- Busted in March for violation of codes but bribed officials (arrested)
- “There was no place to play”
- Prevalence of adult-friendly entertainment districts and no place for teens to go
- Commercial district (Inhyeon-dong) collapsed
- Memorial – Incheon Student Education and Culture Center (near site)
- Worst fire since the ‘70s
- Background
(Feb 18, 2003) Daegu subway fire – 192 killed
- Arsonist set fire to a train
- Fire spread across two trains within minutes
- Largest peacetime deliberate human disaster
- Kim Dae-han
- 56-year-old unemployed taxi driver
- (2001) Had a stroke and wasn’t satisfied with medical treatment
- Wanted to kill himself and take others with him
- Disaster
- Was opening cartons and fumbling with a lighter
- Passengers tried to stop him
- Spilled one of the cartons, which caught fire
- Kim escaped with injuries
- Insulation made fire spread, along with vinyl and plastic on seat cushions and strap handles
- Train operator didn’t notify officials of fire
- Another train entered the station and stopped
- Automatic fire detector SHUT DOWN THE POWER, trapping the train
- Operator told passengers to REMAIN SEATED
- Was told by officials to kill the engine and leave
- Took the master key and escaped, but in doing so kept the doors shut
- Unprepared
- No fire extinguishers
- No sprinklers or emergency lighting
- Poor emergency ventilation systems
- Late responders
- Because smoked prevented them from entering for 3.5 hours
- Was opening cartons and fumbling with a lighter
- Aftermath
- Attempted cover-up
- Escaped operator couldn’t be found for 10 hours
- Transcript omissions
- Better fire safety equipment in subway stations
- Interiors sprayed with fire-resistant chemicals
- Six Daegu stations refurbished
- This is why there are instruction with a cartoon man with a defined butt crack showing how to open subway doors
- Operators of both trains charged with negligence
- Sentenced 4-5 years in prison
- Kim Dae-han convicted of arson and homicide
- Sentenced to life (though prosecutors pushed for death)
- Died in 2004
- (2008) Daegu Safety Theme Park opened
- Attempted cover-up
(2003-2004) Yu Yeong-cheol – 20 killed
- One of the better known murderers
- Father was a Vietnam War vet
- Alcoholic
- Gambler
- Left family*
- Yoo was violent when young, but athletic
- Artistic, wanted to be an artist
- Dropped out of school
- Aug.23, 1988 committed first known crime – theft
- Exempt from military service
- 1991, got married, had a son
- Throughout 90s, committed 14 counts of theft and rape, total 7 years in prison
- March, 2000, sentenced 3.5 years in prison for raping a teenage girl (sent to Jeonju Prison)
- Wife filed for divorce
- September, 2003, released from prison
- Lived with mother in Seoul
- Became fascinated with murder
- Killed a dog to experiment
- Stabbed the dog
- Was put off by the blood, dog’s hollering, and squirming
- Decided it was best to hit victims in the head first
- Later that month, first murder
- Most victims were bludgeoned (usually with a hammer or similar tool) then stabbed
- He started killing wealthy elderly (men and women), often in their homes, before moving on to raping and murdering women (often masseuses/prostitutes, usually in their 20s)
- Victims were bludgeoned or raped or both before being murdered; several were dismembered and cannibalised
- Victims ranged between early 20s and mid-80s
- July 2004, captured
- Convicted of 20 murders
- Rape was later added to convictions
- December 2004, sentenced to death
- June 2005, death sentence was lowered to life by Supreme Court
- Currently in Seoul Detention Centre
- 2010, reestablishing the death penalty was reviewed by Minister of Justice
- Violent serial killers were the key focus; Yoo was the key example for ministry’s review
- Review was abandoned
(Jan 7, 2008) Fire in refrigeration distribution warehouse under construction – 40/57 killed
- Cause – Sparks from welding landed on chemicals
- Safety issues
- Fire dept issued safety inspection certificate WITHOUT INSPECTING
- Workers not given safety training
- Bballi Bballi pressure to finish
- Fire suppression wasn’t operational–locked down
- Aftermath
- Building owners sentenced 20 million won
- Avoided prison
- Building owners sentenced 20 million won
(Feb 10, 2008) Namdaemun fire
- Chae Jong-gi (69 years old)
- Upset he hadn’t been paid in full for land sold to developers
- (2006) Had also tried to set Changgyeonggung on fire
- Namdaemun targeted because
- Lax security
- Didn’t want to cause casualties (so no trains or buses–thanks, dude)
- Aftermath
- Now has fire suppression systems and CCTVs
- Other sites got the same treatment
(Oct 20, 2008) Nonhyeon-dong massacre – 6 killed
- Goshiwon 3rd floor, Jeong Sang-jin (30) set his room on fire and slashed several women with a sushi knife while wearing all black and a headlamp and goggles
- One woman died when she jumped out of a window
- Jeong was thought to be a victim and was rescued from a storage room, where he was hiding
- Jeong Sang-jin
- Financial hardships
- Was picked on his whole life
- Skipped reservist training
- Wanted to target the rich and high authorities, but went for who was convenient
- Aftermath
- Sentenced to death
(July 6, 2013) Asiana Airlines Flight 214 – 3 killed
- Bumped the runway while landing at SFO
- Cause – Pilot error
- Official: Over-reliance on automation and lack of understanding of systems operation
- Unofficial: Miscommunication – Other crew members who saw an error didn’t object because of hierarchy
(April 16, 2014) Sewol Ferry – 304 killed
- Incident
- Capsized while third mate and helmsman made too sharp a turn
- Captain Lee Joon-seok and crew were drinking beer
- Ordered passengers to stay put
- Those who disobeyed survived
- Captain and crew abandoned ship
- Three crew members stayed on to help and died
- Rescue operations delayed and botched
- Capsized while third mate and helmsman made too sharp a turn
- Causes
- Sudden turn
- Off-duty captain complained about steering problems
- Overloading and improperly secured cargo
- Off-duty captain and first mate warned about it
- Owners brushed it off
- Not carrying enough ballast water
- Miscommunication between agencies about what the maximums should be
- Addition of extra passenger cabins (similar to Sampoong’s extra floor)
- Cozy relationship between agencies and shipping business
- Sudden turn
- Aftermath
- Media was an embarrassment
- Perpetrators
- Former owner Yoo Byung-eun fled
- Nationwide manhunt
- Body was found in a field
- Captain and two other crew indicted with homicide
- Captain – 36 years
- Judgement: Negligence but not intent to kill
- Chief Engineer – Murder – 30 years
- 11 other crew members indicted on lesser charges
- Captain – 36 years
- Chonghaejin CEO Kim Han-sik – 10 years
- Six other employees and a Korean Shipping Association officials received sentences
- Former owner Yoo Byung-eun fled
- Led to downfall of Park Geun-hye
- Negligence
- Caring more about the optics
- Made blacklist of artists who portrayed Sewol in their artwork
- Members of administration were imprisoned for four years for this
- Lax regulations under spotlight
(May 17, 2016) Gangnam bathroom murder
- Kim Sung-min stabbed a woman to death
- Reason – Hated women
- Also mental illness – schizophrenia
- Korea’s #MeToo movement
- The uber-culture
- Men feeling more and more displaced as their dominance is challenged as Korea modernizes
- Men who aren’t as powerful lash out
- The uber-culture
(Dec 21, 2017) Jecheon fire – electrical fire in a gym “Noble Fitness and Spa” – 29 killed
- Incident
- Smoke inhalation main culprit
- Rapid spread
- New paint and decorations from remodeling
- 20 trapped in sauna
- ~20 rescued from roof of eight-story building
- Owner didn’t abandon this time
- Tried to put out fire with extinguisher
- But didn’t enter sauna because–naked women
- Fire truck delayed
- Illegally parked cars blocking way
- Private truck from a cleaning company with ladder started rescue
- Elderly man rescued 15 people before being taken to hospital
- Smoke inhalation main culprit
- Cause
- Installation of electric heating wires on first floor ceiling of the parking lot
- To make things worse
- Emergency exit was being used as a warehouse–blocked door
- Power outage
- Automatic door at entrance was broken – People didn’t know how to open it
- No staff to help evacuate
- Alarm not installed
- Sprinkler system didn’t work
- Elevators acted as chimneys
- Aftermath
- Fire department and local government accused of ineptitude by public
- Fire preparedness was improved for public facilities after Daegu subway fire, but not private facilities
(Jan 26, 2018) Miryang hospital fire – 41 killed
- Sejong Hospital
- Cause – Still unknown
- Started in Emergency Room, maybe the ceiling
- Likely wires above ceiling in the bathroom
- Started in Emergency Room, maybe the ceiling
- Incident
- Many intensive care patients were tied to their beds
- Sprinklers not installed (not required)
- Aftermath
- Bills stuck in parliament to fix this
Conclusion
What have been the patterns?
- 빨리 빨리
- Disassociation of cause & effect
- Bad at strategic thinking, good at tactical thinking
- Stubborn refusal to anticipate disaster
- Quick to fix disasters after they happen
- Bad at strategic thinking, good at tactical thinking
- Angry older men commit arson
- Slow response of responders
- Miscommunication
- People being told to remain where they are–to follow authority
- People in charge fled the scene (captains, subway operators, pub and building owners)
- Greed & corruption
- Paternal view of the masses
- Regulators in bed with industry – bribes
What has changed?
- Air and building safety
- Things don’t change until there’s public outcry
- Driving/drunk driving rules
- More of a safety mindset/conscientiousness
- Expanding of one’s bubble to go beyond tribalism (immediate family) to community mindset
- Driving has gotten better
- Some fluidity in Confucian hierarchy
- Air crews are required to speak up if the captain is wrong
- Consciousness of social disasters (serial killers, sex crimes, child abuse)
- Those who are responsible are being punished
- Less corruption
- Maybe because it’s a richer society. Gov’t officials don’t need to be bribed to stay afloat
- This had been going on ever since the Joseon era when kings kept expanding the numbers of Merit Subjects
- Maybe because it’s a richer society. Gov’t officials don’t need to be bribed to stay afloat
What directions are we heading?
- More consciousness of social disasters
- Moving from structural to personal — human level
- More responsibility being taken by those with responsibility
- May see more helicopter parenting regarding safety
- Note how Korean children have more freedom of movement than their western counterparts these days
- America went through the child abduction scares of the ‘80s and ‘90s, causing paranoid parenting
- Korea may be about to go through that
- Note how Korean children have more freedom of movement than their western counterparts these days
- The looming iceberg: Mental Illness
- Ignoring of mental illness and making it shameful
- Social pressures amplifying them
