Candidates Urged to Pledge Memorials, Safety Ahead of Osong Underpass Disaster 3rd Anniversary

It has been nearly three years since the Osong underpass disaster, which claimed 14 lives.

Bereaved families, who have been demanding the creation of a memorial space for the victims and the enactment of a life safety ordinance, have called on local election candidates to officially adopt these as campaign pledges. They wish for the establishment of a memorial space where the causes, progression, and countermeasures of the Osong disaster can be recorded.

However, a proper memorial space has yet to be adequately established, even as the third anniversary of the disaster approaches. The Chungcheongbuk-do provincial government and Cheongju City dismantled the public incense-burning altar on the victims' 49th day memorial. It has been pointed out that the temporary space provided afterward is difficult to use for memorial purposes except for specific events like joint ancestral rites.

The bereaved families criticized the situation where current local government heads, including former Chungcheongbuk-do Governor Kim Young-hwan who was designated responsible for the disaster, are running for re-election. They expressed their hope for a fundamental change in the local governments' sense of responsibility for life and safety.