Itaewon: The bodies of young people and their distraught parents are now crammed into the funeral houses of Seoul. Mr. Sim and his wife are slumped on a little sofa at the end of a long hallway, unable to lift their heads.
Itaewon: crush’s 5 friends went out to celebrate Halloween, but only 2 returned home.
The body of their son James Sim, age 28, is located inside one of the chambers. Yoon, a friend of James, is in the room next door. James’ girlfriend is also lying in a funeral home on the other side of town.
Together with two other friends, they had traveled to Itaewon on Saturday night to celebrate Halloween. The evening was organized by James. He was always the planner since he enjoyed going out with his buddies, according to his mother.
James was one of the 155 people who died in a crowd crush that happened when a small bar-lined corridor got too crowded. His parents, like many others, woke up to discover their son’s bed empty, which was the first indication that anything was amiss. James’ father made calls to him from his buddies. Police responded.
Itaewon: crush’s 5 friends went out to celebrate Halloween, but only 2 returned home.
Two of the companions managed to claw their way through the crowd and climb onto some railings at the edge of the alleyway as they were stuck in the deadly crash. Yoon, James, and his girlfriend were unable to see it.
Itaewon: According to his mother, James enjoyed working out and spent most of his free time in the gym bulking up by lifting weights. How this did not save him baffles her.
According to James’ father, his relationship was becoming more serious. If they had lived, he and his girlfriend would have soon gotten married. He was a conscientious plumber at work, but his hobbies were skiing and surfing. As she describes the things he enjoyed doing, his mother’s eyes crinkle with a glimmer of delight; yet, when his father gets close, tears start to pour.
He remembers that “James was the best older brother.” What will happen to my younger son without him?
Twelve of his old schoolmates are seated in the room next to his shrine. Since they were eight years old, Park Ju-sung has been his closest friend.
“James was my only friend growing up because I was such a shy kid,” claims Ju-sung. He urged me to learn Taekwondo alongside him and extended invitations to everything. He encouraged me to be more outgoing.”
Yoon, a friend of James, whose memorial sits in the adjacent room, was mature beyond his 28 years and at ease with himself. He cherished discovery. According to Jung-Su, who claims he respected his confidence, he used to go to bars alone at night and make an effort to interact with foreigners in order to learn their languages.
