DAEJEON (UCAN): In South Korea, about a thousand Catholics marched and attended a special Mass to grieve those who died in various disasters and called on the government to ensure justice and compensation for victims’ families on July 24. The event was organised by the Justice and Peace Committee of the Diocese of Daejeon.
They were joined by rights activists and environmental groups paid tributes to the victims of the 2014 sinking of the MV Sewol ferry, the Halloween crush last year, and devastating flash floods in July.
The Sewol ferry sank en route from Incheon to Jeju Island on 14 April 2014, killing 306 of 476 passengers and crew. Some 250 victims were high school students.
The Halloween crush in the Itaewon district of Seoul on 29 October 2022 left 156 dead and hundreds injured. Most victims were young people.
The July flooding killed at least 46 people and displaced about 5,500 people.
Father Matthew Kim Yong-tae, head of the Justice and Peace Committee said in his homily, “These are unfortunate accidents that show we are unable to pass a good planet to our children.”
“The universal values of justice, peace, freedom, equality, life, love, and human rights in our lives must be applied fairly to everyone,” Father Kim said.
Among the groups that joined in the programme were the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, the Daejeon Federation for Environmental Movements, and the Daecheon Candlelight Action Preparatory Committee.
Many young people who do not confess any faith also joined the Mass.
Twenty-eight-year-old Park Ji-young said she came hoping to see that society changes so no more “lives are lost in careless accidents” like that of the Halloween tragedy.
Dominic Song who attended the Mass with his 11-month-old baby expressed concerns over Japan’s plan to release contaminated water from the disaster-hit Fukushima nuclear power plant.
“This will cause suffering for our children,” he said.
