South Korean Minister Called Out For Insensitive Comment Regarding Recent Suicide Of A Survivor From The Itaewon Halloween Tragedy

The Itaewon Halloween Emergency just over a month ago saw 158 deaths and multiple injured survivors. Partygoers fell like dominoes in a narrow, sloped alleyway off the main street of Itaewon and were crushed to death.

Recently, one of the survivors, however, was found dead in their lodgings. On December 12, 2022, around 11.40 pm, the police received a missing person report and rushed down to the scene, only to find that he had killed himself. But what was even more shocking was a minister’s reaction to the news at a press conference on December 15, 2022.

In response to the news, a minister had claimed that the victim needed to have been more committed to his treatment.

The basic preventive measure that the government can take, is that the victims themselves have to want to receive treatment and they need the persistence for it. Only then, does the government have to actively support them. I think that there aren’t any cases where someone cannot undergo treatment due to financial problems.

— Minister

His response was shocking and many called him out for being insensitive.

• “Crazy lol. The work of the government should be to make it such that patients can easily knock on the doors of the medical facilities. It’s disgusting how they’re blaming the victim.”
• “Is he a psychopath? A government staff is conducting a secondary round of hurt… I can’t believe this is real.”
• “Huh?”
• “Psychopath.”
• “Is this branch of the government one that can’t relate to people?”

It was confirmed that the survivor had lost two friends in the tragedy. After the incident, he had gone to counselling sessions in his high school and received treatment twice a week for his mental and physical health. He had been suffering from malicious comments and more.