Bouquets of flowers lie on Oct. 31, 2022, in front of a police line that surrounds the site of the Oct. 29 crowd crush in Seoul’s Itaewon district. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Nov. 1 (Korea Bizwire) — The spread of unfiltered photos and videos of the deadly crowd crush in Seoul may traumatize not just the families of the victims, but also the public in general, experts said Monday.
Immediately following the tragedy in Itaewon, photos and videos by witnesses were uploaded en masse on social media.
The videos depicted paramedics performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in groups, with uncensored footage of dead bodies.
“It is human psychology to look up accidents, even if one is scared,” said Dr. Chung Chan-seung, Director of Special Affairs at the Korean Neuropsychiatric Association.
“By viewing the photos and the videos, they may be subject to the trauma experienced by the witnesses themselves even if they weren’t at the scene.”
“In situations like this, not only the people who were at the scene but also those who have been meticulously informed about the incident or even volunteers may be subject to trauma,” said Kim Sun-hyeon, a professor at Yonsei University Wonju College of Medicine.
“We should look out for a widespread psychological impact.”
Criticisms and hatred should be restrained as most of the victims were the young generation, who have already been suffering from restricted social activity and discouragement.
“What we need is a solemn time of mourning,” Kim said. “There was a devastating tragedy that took place at a location where anyone of us could’ve been. We need some time to find peace in our hearts.”
H. M. Kang (hmkang@koreabizwire.com)
