Apparent suicide after deadly South Korea concert collapse accident

[bunica1990.livejournal.com]

A day after 16 died in an accident at a concert in South Korea, a man responsible for safety measures was found also dead, the country's semi-official news agency reported. It was an apparent suicide.

On Friday, a ventilation grate gave way, and more than two dozen people standing on it plunged some 20 meters (66 feet) -- or four stories -- into an underground parking structure below, a government accident response task force said.

In addition to the deaths, eleven people were injured, three seriously.

On Saturday, the body of the 37-year-old safety official was found on a street near his office, Yonhap news agency reported, citing police. They think he jumped to his death.

He left a brief message on his Facebook page. "I apologize to the victims. I'm sorry to my family."

On Friday, Prime Minister Chung Hong-won inspected the gaping concrete hole that swallowed up concertgoers.

Some media reports indicate the victims were standing on the grate in order to get a better view of the stage.
A witness told CNN affiliate YTN, "There was a sudden, loud screaming and when I turned, it looked as if people were being sucked down into a hole."

About 700 people were attending the concert, which featured South Korean artists, including the popular all-female group 4Minute, Yonhap reported.

A ferry sinking in April killed more than 300 people, many of them schoolchildren, and caused nationwide outrage.
Critics contend safety measures and regulation are not keeping pace with the fast-paced economic development in the country.


Source: CNN

:(

There is also a video at the source. Idk how to tag this.

Comments

[modernelegance.livejournal.com]

So sad. :(

How devastating for all of the families involved.

[boiinks2.livejournal.com]

Can you not call suicide cowardly and not the manly thing to do? It's really gross and ignorant.

[cricket.livejournal.com]

glad people responded that ignorant and offensive as fuck comment. pretty ironic that they took the ~cowardly route and deleted tho...

[deftbones.livejournal.com]

> coward
> like men
> easy route

[ohcrepe.livejournal.com]

Oh God, I watched this episode. Nev shouldn't have apologised because the guy is an asshat anyway.

[deftbones.livejournal.com]

the premiere of season 3 had a girl that i had known since elementary school on it. it was wild

[ohcrepe.livejournal.com]

Whoa, how weird is that. Is she the catfish or catfished?

[deftbones.livejournal.com]

she was the catfish

[peachie-ego.livejournal.com]

You're pov is very narrow-minded. That official couldnt haven done anymore even if there were more safety measures. The concertgoers were issued warnings & told to get off the vent which they ignored. Also someone committing suicide out of pain & guilt arent bloody cowards. It's really BS that he's getting all the blame. This was nothing more than a freak accident.

[cuizy.livejournal.com]

But the 'pain and guilt' seems society enforced like I see big screw ups in the US and nobody about to take their own life.

[chihana11.livejournal.com]

Totally different culture in the US.

[cuizy.livejournal.com]

yes I know but I think all suicides should be discouraged no matter the culture, I mean that's why we have intervention for depression right?

[chihana11.livejournal.com]

I really hope the culture changes for them. MH treatment is almost non existent, and the suicide rate is very high.

[snowmog.livejournal.com]

Ask a Korean has a series which looks at why suicide rates are so high, but concludes that they aren't necessarily a 'cultural thing' or a result of one cause: http://askakorean.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/suicide-in-korea-series-iv-how-suicide.html

Not everyone who screws up big time in Korea commits suicide, and in this case it might just be mostly because of plaguing guilt and even underlying depression, rather than 'people will be out for my blood and want me dead'. There's been no detailed note with reasons why listed and we don't have access to his medical records, so we're not really going to know. Of course there is a high possibility that this death is related to honour because he wasn't competent enough at his job, but not all suicides in Korea are related to this.

People in Korea, usually just want justice and positive change. I don't think they all want someone to go and kill themselves because of something like this though.

[cuizy.livejournal.com]

ok I read through most of that article. But like most of that is just that particular person's opinion. The best that could be said is that here are the stats on the suicide rates, here is a theory about it, but the only way the theory is validated is from how it plays out in real time. And they even mentioned that the suicide rate was extremely high in the 60's before dropping in the 80's and 90's which doesn't fit with the theory. Also culture is constantly changing and so is societal pressure so I do believe that it is the overall societal pressure (which that author also agrees) that is causing Korea's rates to be so high. Also there were no comparisons to how high suicide rates were in other countries that went through industrialization, like how high were the western countries' suicide rates? In addition, Japan still has a very high suicide rate even though they've been through industrialization for a lot longer. Would you attribute that to their culture?

At any rate those are stats and reasons for a general population, and this particular case, as well as the sewol case at least in my mind shows it's pretty common for Koreans to commit suicide under this kind of circumstance (minus sampling error). The article also mention that there was a string of Korean celebrity suicides which is alarming because it doesn't really happen in other countries. I don't think that people are out for blood either but it seems their society places a lot of pressure on someone when things go wrong (and also their own intrinsic values).

[snowmog.livejournal.com]

Sorry, I misinterpreted your original comment.

In Korea, there is definitely as sense of really caring what others think about you, self image and striving to perfection. This happens in other countries to some extent too; but Korea are trying to catch up with other large countries in terms of success and establishment, but they've only had about 20 years in which to do this, while other countries have had over 100 to modernise.

I also feel like in places like the US or the UK, we tend to shift the blame onto other people a little bit. In Korea it feels like someone is expected to take full responsibility for the mistake, even if like in this case and with the Captain of the Sewol, it's not entirely the fault of one person.

And in Korea there is a lot of stress in companies. I know people work long hours in other countries too and suffer from the same kinds of stresses, but even in retail positions people are working 12 hour days and not always with a proper break away from the shop floor like is legally enforced in the UK.

So people do feel pressure and guilt from the societal norms they are supposed to aspire to, as well possible underlying causes like stress from work and family and, like you said, intrinsic values.

[yuzuruhanyu.livejournal.com]

you're embarrassing

[cricket.livejournal.com]

everything about this is so sad.

[torontok.livejournal.com]

I can do nothing more than sigh at this point

[hipployta.livejournal.com]

It's all very sad

[twnty7.livejournal.com]

This is so sad. I can only hope that his family and the families of the victims can pull through. I can't imagine how hard it must be for them.

[princetabi.livejournal.com]

that's so sad :(

I thought it wasn't entirely his fault though? I read that people aren't supposed to be standing on those vents at all.

This whole thing is tragic.

[ohcrepe.livejournal.com]

Suicide shouldn't have been the solution :/ Very sad for everyone involved.

[shupagirl-uk.livejournal.com]

I just want to apologise. I shouldn't have said what I said and I just wrote the first thing that came to my mind without thinking about it properly. I should have just not said anything which would have been better. That is why I deleted my comment on here.

I'm sorry.

[nekokonneko.livejournal.com]

this tragedy got even more tragic :[

[paper-palms.livejournal.com]

Don't know what to say. Just sad.
My heart goes out to everyone involved.

[cuizy.livejournal.com]

Wow..... I guess I don't know anything about Koreans. Why do they think committing suicide is one of the better resorts? Didn't it happen in sewol too? I thought suicides were quite characteristic of japan..... I guess Korea too

[tempestdance.livejournal.com]

the extreme guilt and panic drive people to make rash decisions... :/

[cuizy.livejournal.com]

yeah it's quite sad..... nobody should have to resort to suicide :/

[scheisse.livejournal.com]

From what I've read, there's also a lack of people to talk to when it comes to mental health and things such as suicidal feelings. Also, family honor and feeling as if you let the people around you down causes a lot of people immense shame and guilt, which again can be tied back to not having many people to.

[cuizy.livejournal.com]

Yeah I think family honor and pride may be a big thing. As well as they have to apologize to the victims' families usually right? I guess the guilt can just eat away at them.

[tempestdance.livejournal.com]

he left a letter saying sorry to the victims and how he loves his family - it reminds me of the vice principal from sewol - and it's not like japan where it's viewed as a responsible action after failing a duty, these people are just overcome with guilt.

this whole thing is tragic and i don't want to point any fingers but it certainly shouldn't be at the safety official.

[snowmog.livejournal.com]

Having lived in South Korea, I can say the health and safety thing is really different to how it is in my country. One example being that window cleaners regularly clean windows of 30+ story buildings without safety harnesses, which would never happen in some other countries.

It's sad the one in head of security feels so responsible though. I've seen the way fans have repeatedly ignored requests at concerts, just so they could have a better view. It tends to be worse at free concerts, where staff also don't seem to know how (or didn't really want to) to deal with the crap some fans pull (standing on the arms of plastic chairs, and generally in places that really aren't safe). But I've known it happen at paid concerts too, where staff are generally more experienced and trained. That grate should have been blocked off really so fans couldn't just walk onto it (assuming that it was easy to do so), but there is a point where in order to pull a fan away, or off of somewhere, you end up endangering others or the staff member risks seriously hurting or endangering themselves.

My thoughts are with the family and friends of those affected.

[jackieee94.livejournal.com]

:( r.i.p condolences to his family and friends. I just hope no more people die from this accident.

[darlingwendy5.livejournal.com]

How sad. May peace and comfort go to all the families touched by this tragic event.

[gathyou.livejournal.com]

I don't have words. It's a tragedy.

[woohyun.livejournal.com]

omg this is really sad :c

[pentrue.livejournal.com]

this is all just so sad...

[lycorisc.livejournal.com]

): rip

[cleopatra25.livejournal.com]

He shouldn't have had to resort to that. It doesn't solve anything. But I understand that when you're depressed and under so much stress like he was, that you aren't going to think rationally.

I've read accounts from relatives of those behind the scenes who are responsible for cleaning up the bloody mess when these things happen. It takes its toll on you mentally and physically. I have so much respect for them.

Unfortunately in SK there is no individuality, you are under intense pressure to succeed from your family, and then is the constant obsession with perfection that cannot be attained. These factors are what drive their suicide rate to be so high.