April 16th: The Anniversary of a National Tragedy

*Very serious post ahead*

April 16^th is considered one of the saddest days in modern Korean history, as on that day three years ago, the Sewol ferry sank, killing almost 300 high school students around ages 16-17 from Danwon High School who were on a school trip. Now, I’m not Korean myself so you may be wondering what business I have writing about this tragic event. Well, being a K-pop and Running Man fan, I was still affected by the complete shutdown of the entertainment industry during that month or so. With time, I understood why the release of EXO’s new song or the latest Running Man episode was postponed for so long.

Every year on April 16^th, Koreans will post something along the lines of “잊지안겠습니다” or “I will not forget” to remember this disaster that took so many lives. Meditating on those words, they are similar to “Never forget 9/11”, which was an even bigger tragedy with almost 10 times more casualties, possibly the most well-known and devastating of all modern-day tragedies. Every time an event like this happens or the anniversary passes, I’m left wondering, “How will people ever move past this?”

From what I know about the Sewol sinking and its aftermath, the parents of the deceased students are still deeply affected by their losses. The ship was recently salvaged from the waters and brought onto land for investigation, which forced these parents to relive the grief they felt when they learned that their children were gone forever. There was also a lot of anger as most of these deaths could have been prevented if not for the crew’s commands for the students to stay on the ship as it sank. I’d read that some parents had even committed suicide because they couldn’t live without their children. 

These are just two of the 300 or so students who died in the Sewol sinking.

I don’t know much about the process of grief either, having rarely experienced it throughout my life, but I do know that everyone experiences it differently, and it will take varying amounts of time for each individual to come to terms with their loss(es). I’ve often thought of mourning as crying constantly every day, remaining solemn and silent, and refraining from happy thoughts and activities as those are disrespectful to the dead. This impression was reflected in the South Korean entertainment industry following the sinking, as TVs cancelled drama and music video showings to broadcast updates about the Sewol 24/7. I questioned even watching reruns of Running Man or talking about anything happy during that time, and wondered if it was unacceptable to immerse oneself in an enjoyable activity in order to escape, even for just a moment, the horrible reality of the world, when an entire nation that I’d invested myself into was in mourning.

Thankfully, after that somber first month after the sinking, South Korea slowly picked itself up and moved forward. In lieu of filming shows, celebrities used their wealth and influence to donate to those affected. Songs, drama episodes, and reality shows were finally released, much to fans’ anticipation. There were even several music videos that made direct or indirect reference to Sewol, with The Ark’s “The Light” being the most blatant example. Recently, even BTS’s “Spring Day” is said to address the event. 

The MV for "The Light", released in 2015, pays homage to the victims of the accident.

Of course, South Korea will never forget this heartbreaking day. I too will never forget that there were 300 students around my age whose hopes and dreams ended on that cold April 16th, 2014. Three years isn’t actually that long when put into perspective, so the memory is still fresh in many people’s minds. But while most of us never knew these students personally, we must not only remember the sadness and unfairness of their deaths, but also remember the joy that they exuberated and their legacies. We should acknowledge that our hearts hurt and that they might never fully heal, but at the same time we should live with gratitude, contentment, and youthful abandon, to honour those dreams that were never fulfilled.