SBS Entertainment News brings you a quick summary of SBS's 'Tails of Tales' (hereinafter 'Tails of Tales'), where the 'Jang Trio'—Jang Hyun-sung, Jang Sung-kyu, and Jang Doyoun—tells stories of 'that day' in history that we must not forget, both for those who missed the original broadcast and those who want to relive the moment.
The story of 'that day' we want to share with 'you' this time is from the episode
'Forgotten People - Typhoon Rusa'
, which aired on July 30. Singer Kim Jung-min, Sandara Park, and actor Park Jeong-hwa joined as story friends. (In line with the style of 'Tails of Tales,' the review is presented in an informal tone.)
▲ A Wedding in a Typhoon
The time was Sunday, September 1, 2002. For 26-year-old Park Na-young, this was the most important day of her life. It was her wedding day. Introduced by a mutual friend, Na-young and her fiancé quickly fell deeply in love. Then one day during a trip to the sea, the fiancé proposed to Na-young, and she accepted. Just three months after meeting, they decided to get married.
Like every bride, she had a dream wedding in mind. From the wedding venue to the date, everything was chosen with extreme care. The date they picked was September 1, 2002. On that day, the sky was completely clear without a single cloud. Arriving early at the venue, Na-young got her bridal makeup done and put on the dream wedding dress.
But Na-young's expression looked strange. She seemed anxious and somehow uneasy. She kept staring at the entrance of the venue as if waiting for someone. Yet no matter how long she waited, he didn't appear. On the very day of the wedding, the groom-to-be had suddenly vanished. With only an hour left until the ceremony, tears began streaming down Na-young's face.
Let's go back to August 31, 2002, the day before the wedding. That day, Na-young was supposed to visit her in-laws with her fiancé. The family was planning to gather for a feast. Her in-laws lived in Gimcheon, Gyeongsangbuk-do. Just before leaving, Na-young called her in-laws' home. The person who picked up was her fiancé's older brother—her brother-in-law.
"Brother-in-law, we're on our way now."
"Sister-in-law, no! Don't ever come here!"
Then the line suddenly disconnected. She called back, but couldn't get through. What on earth was happening? Feeling anxious, Na-young turned on the TV.
"As Typhoon Rusa made landfall on the southern coast this afternoon, the entire country has come under the direct influence of the typhoon."
"Seawater overflowing over breakwaters due to high waves and strong winds is flooding the roads."
"A wall 2 meters high and about 10 meters long collapsed from strong winds, damaging six passenger cars parked next to it."
On August 31, 2002, Typhoon Rusa struck the Korean Peninsula. Massive winds and torrential rain battered the entire nation that day. And Na-young's in-laws were also facing chaos due to the typhoon.
"My parents-in-law were in an area hit by landslides and flooding. I was so worried, but I couldn't get in touch with them and had no way of knowing what was happening. From then on, I called the disaster management headquarters, the local police station, and neighbors' homes nonstop. I made dozens, hundreds of calls. Not a single call went through. Nowhere."
- Park Na-young
Na-young and her fiancé stayed up all night, worried sick about his family. Eventually, her fiancé said to Na-young:
"I can't just sit here. I'll go bring my parents, so you head to the wedding venue first."
Right before the wedding, the fiancé headed to his parents' home, leaving Na-young to go to the venue alone. Even after finishing her makeup, her fiancé became completely unreachable as well. The makeup artist told Na-young, "Bride, please stop crying. I don't know how many times I've touched up your makeup." She had cried so much that her makeup had to be retouched nearly 20 times.
"The venue told me, 'If the groom doesn't arrive 10 minutes before the ceremony starts, we might not be able to proceed with the wedding,' so I thought, 'Oh, is this wedding not going to happen?'"
- Park Na-young
With only 30 minutes left until the wedding, just as she was wondering if they should cancel the ceremony—
"Na-young, Na-young! I'm so sorry! I'm here!"
It was her fiancé's voice. But when Na-young saw him, she was shocked. His hair was completely disheveled, and his clothes were soaked.
"In those areas, either everything around the bridges washed away, leaving only the bridge deck, or the entire bridge was swept away, making entry impossible. Entry to Gimcheon was completely blocked because the entrance was flooded. So he parked his car and walked as far as he could. He said he parked the car and tried walking as far as possible. But he couldn't go far and had to turn back. His clothes were completely soaked, and he came back looking utterly exhausted."
- Park Na-young
He couldn't even enter the area and had to return. Fortunately, the fiancé arrived dramatically, and they prepared for the wedding. But his parents still hadn't arrived. What's worse, nobody even knew if they were alive or dead. Their wedding day could potentially turn into a funeral day for his family.
Just as the wedding ceremony ended and the bride and groom were making their exit, Na-young screamed and fell right onto the virgin road (aisle). When she got up and looked, her parents-in-law and brother-in-law were standing at the end of the aisle, dripping wet.
"I thought I saw ghosts. I really did. So I stepped on my dress train and fell over. I was so shocked. Until that moment, I didn't know if they were alive or dead. Seeing them standing there, I burst into tears, fell down, and just wept hysterically."
- Park Na-young
Determined to attend the wedding no matter what, they climbed mountainsides and crossed streams in the pouring rain. It was a journey that took over four hours—literally a life-risking ordeal. This was the wedding photo taken after all those twists and turns.
Nearly 300 guests were originally expected to attend, but only 30 guests showed up that day. A once-in-a-lifetime wedding day turned into a nightmare they never wanted to remember. It has been 24 years since they got married, and they say they have never once taken out this wedding photo since then. They haven't even celebrated their wedding anniversary.
Typhoon Rusa was the wind and rain that turned what should have been the happiest day into a wedding of tears. Do you remember Typhoon Rusa? Making landfall in South Korea on August 31, 2002, with overwhelming winds and rain, Typhoon Rusa left unprecedented records. With 8 missing and 238 dead nationwide, it caused the highest number of casualties among typhoons in the 21st century. And property damage reached 5.1479 trillion won, ranking first in property damage among all typhoons in history.
Today, we will listen to the stories of the people who struggled to survive on that very day Typhoon Rusa struck the Korean Peninsula.
▲ Gangneung Swallowed by Floodwaters
On the night of August 30, 2002, Typhoon Rusa, with immense power, approached the sea off Jeju Island.
"As Typhoon Rusa, the 15th typhoon of the season, moves north at a rapid pace, heavy rain and strong winds are raging in the Jeju region."
"The Korea Meteorological Administration expects the period between tonight and tomorrow morning to be the peak crisis."
Typhoon Rusa had a maximum radius of up to 500 kilometers. The straight-line distance from Seoul to Busan is about 320 kilometers. So a 500-kilometer radius meant a massive typhoon large enough to cover the entire country and more. That meant the whole nation fell under the typhoon's influence. And among all places, Gangneung in Gangwon-do took a direct hit from Rusa's attack.
That night, 20-year-old Kim Jin-ho, who lived in Gangneung, heard news of the typhoon. At the time, Jin-ho thought nothing major would happen. Typhoons had passed through Gangneung several times before without causing major trouble. But feeling strangely uneasy that night, Jin-ho pulled this out before going to sleep.
A walkie-talkie radio. Jin-ho was an amateur radio operator. Radio operators help facilitate communication via radio when regular communications fail during natural disasters or emergencies. That night, Jin-ho decided to leave his radio turned on while he slept, thinking communication might be needed if the typhoon struck.
"I slept with it turned on that day. Most of the time, I turn it off late at night. But I thought communication might be needed if a problem arose. I remember finding batteries for the radios at home and charging them up."
- Kim Jin-ho, amateur radio operator living in Gangneung at the time
And the next morning, August 31, 2002.
"Mayday, Mayday! Is anyone receiving this?"
Jin-ho woke up to the sudden crackle of the radio. "Mayday"—a distress signal sent by someone in trouble. It meant an extremely urgent situation.
"Signal receiving loud and clear. Go ahead, over."
"Ah, yes. The river has overflowed and cars are stranded. The water has risen up to our chins. Please report this quickly!"
Hearing this conversation over the radio, Jin-ho realized that something serious was taking place.
At that time, 42-year-old Yeon Gyu-tae living in Daedong Village, Gangneung, was at home with his family. Here is his family.
Six years prior, Gyu-tae married his wife, Park Kyeong-suk, who was introduced by an acquaintance. They had two precious daughters: 7-year-old firstborn Eun-mi and 4-year-old second daughter Eun-hee. They were a harmonious family that brought smiles just by looking at them. Although his wife and youngest daughter Eun-hee had slight physical disabilities, the family of four lived happily together, relying on one another.
That morning, Gyu-tae's family gathered together in the living room. August 31 was youngest daughter Eun-hee's fourth birthday. Gyu-tae had prepared a special gift for Eun-hee's birthday: a family trip. Eun-hee had been saying for days that she wanted to go to the ocean.
Just as the whole family was excitedly preparing to head to the sea, water suddenly came rushing into the house and began rising under their feet. Wondering what was happening, Gyu-tae rushed outside. And before his eyes unfolded this scene.
The entire city of Gangneung was flooded. Abandoned cars were floating in the streets. People could barely move through the water, which had risen waist-deep.
"They said a typhoon was coming, but I didn't expect it to be that big. I thought it would just rain a bit and pass, but to rain like that so suddenly was a first. It was the first time I ever saw rain pour down like that so suddenly."
- Yeom Gyu-tae, resident of Daedong Village, Gangneung at the time
Shocked, Gyu-tae yelled to his family.
"I told everyone to come out. Because the water was rising. We had to evacuate first, so I told everyone to get out. I tried to go to the neighboring village because the ground was a bit higher."
- Yeom Gyu-tae, resident of Daedong Village, Gangneung at the time
First, Gyu-tae loaded his family into the car and began evacuating toward higher ground. As mentioned earlier, Gangneung took a direct hit from Rusa. Here's why.
The average rainfall during South Korea's monsoon season over the 30-year period from 1991 to 2020 is about 356.7 mm, enough to reach a person's calves. However, on that day, the rainfall poured over Gangneung in a single day reached 870.5 mm. This is an amount that rises up to a person's waist. This record was the highest daily rainfall ever recorded in South Korea. Modern meteorological observations in Korea first began in 1904. So as of this year, it stands as the highest daily rainfall in 122 years. Why, then, did so much rain fall specifically in Gangneung?
Normally, typhoons weaken as they ride the westerlies and exit to the east. But that year, unusually, the North Pacific High formed a wall to the east of South Korea. The typhoon was blocked by this wall. As a result, Rusa took a staggering 22 hours to completely pass through.
During this time, Rusa blew warm winds into Gangneung. However, this warm air collided with the Taebaek Mountains. As the warm air ascended the Taebaek Mountains, it met the cold air above. What happens then? Massive amounts of water vapor—meaning a giant rain cloud—are created. And directly beneath the Taebaek Mountains lay the city of Gangneung.
That was why explosive rain poured down on Gangneung. Under the pouring rain that day, various parts of Gangneung were being submerged.
Landslides occurred and roads collapsed. The entire city of Gangneung was turned into utter chaos.
At that time, phones were ringing endlessly from the morning at the Gangneung Fire Station. There were so many emergency calls that firefighters could not even answer them all. Firefighter Kwon Yeong-gak, who had seven years of experience and was full of passion at the time, also headed out to the scene. His destination was Janghyeon Village. Braving the heavy rain, Firefighter Kwon finally arrived at the scene. But the moment he entered the village entrance, he could not believe his eyes.
"Looking at the situation on site, the residential area was almost entirely submerged. The water volume kept increasing and the current grew stronger, making it hardest to even locate the houses. When we entered, the water was waist-deep, reaching up to more than half our height, and if we slipped for even a moment as we moved forward, we would be swept away. The falling rain stung our eyes so badly that visibility was nearly zero. At a rescue site, you need to see objects with your eyes, but we couldn't even raise our heads because of the stinging pain. That was how heavily it rained."
- Kwon Yeong-gak, firefighter dispatched to the scene at the time
The torrential rain swallowed Janghyeon Village whole in an instant. Inside, Firefighter Kwon Yeong-gak began risking his life to conduct rescue operations. Soon after, an emergency response headquarters was established at City Hall. But just then:
"It's an emergency. They say the floodgates of Obong Dam won't open."
Obong Dam is a facility that serves to protect low-lying areas from damage when Gangneung experiences floods. But the floodgates of Obong Dam would not open. The pouring rain caused a blackout across the entire Gangneung region. Obong Dam provides drinking water to the residents of Gangneung, holding a staggering 14 million tons of water.
The full water level of Obong Dam is 121 meters. The current water level was at 118.5 meters. That meant only 2.5 meters remained until reaching full capacity. Filling the area of Yeouido to a depth of 1 meter takes about 2.9 million tons of water. But the capacity of Obong Reservoir is 14 million tons. A volume of 14 million tons is enough to cover the entire area of Yeouido five times over. Imagine that amount of water pouring out.
"If Obong Dam overflowed and burst, the entire city of Gangneung would disappear. So we had no choice but to open the gates. Since the floodgates weren't working, it reached the point where people were saying, 'Blast the bottom with dynamite' to drain the water at any cost."
- Kim Oh-kyeong, Vice Mayor of Gangneung at the time
If Obong Dam burst, the entire city of Gangneung would be swept away by water. In other words, Gangneung was facing the possibility of disappearing completely.
▲ Gangneung Facing the Risk of Disappearing
At that time, Jin-ho, an amateur radio operator, was heading toward downtown Gangneung. As mentioned earlier, the Gangneung area was pitch-black due to a power outage. Not only were TVs and radios out, but phone service was down as well. So Jin-ho stepped forward to see if he could help as a radio operator. When he arrived downtown, it was practically a war zone.
"The first thing I noticed was thinking, 'Isn't that a car roof?' A car had been swept down and slammed against a tree, with only its roof barely visible floating in the water. On top of that car, another car was flipped upside down. So two cars were stacked on top of each other. I thought, 'Wow, how could that happen?'"
- Kim Jin-ho, amateur radio operator living in Gangneung at the time
Jin-ho began helping flood victims while wading through waist-deep water. But just then, an announcement accompanied by a siren echoed. However, downtown was in such chaos that he could not hear what was being said. Jin-ho asked about the situation over his radio:
"This is downtown Gangneung, downtown Gangneung. A siren just sounded, what is happening?"
"This is the Gangneung City Hall situation room. Obong Dam is currently in danger of collapsing. Please evacuate immediately."
At that moment, goosebumps covered Jin-ho's entire body. He then shouted, "Everyone, you must evacuate now! Head to higher ground!"
"I turned right around and ran at full speed. But with water reaching this high, I couldn't really run. I remember shouting 'Evacuate!' to people who were outside as I kept running. It really was a moment I never want to experience again. It was so terrifying."
- Kim Jin-ho, amateur radio operator living in Gangneung at the time
Then Jin-ho and other residents began evacuating with all their strength. Gyu-tae was also evacuating to higher ground by car with his family. But at that moment!
"Suddenly a ditch over there burst and water rushed in, violently pushing the car. As the water swelled so suddenly, the car began to float, and a little later, I even saw a shipping container floating by. With the water reaching waist-deep, it was like pushing people hard. On top of that, I can't use my right side. Having a disability made it physically exhausting."
- Yeom Gyu-tae, resident of Daedong Village in Gangneung at the time
As the car was swept away by the current, Gyu-tae tried to open the door to get out. But the door would not open because of the rushing water. After escaping through the window first, Gyu-tae managed to pull his two daughters and wife out of the car. Carrying his two children in one arm and holding his wife with the other, he began making his way out. The water had risen to waist level, and the current was so powerful that it was difficult to take a single step. As he struggled forward with all his strength, he felt his wife's hand losing its grip.
"Honey, we're almost there. We just need to get past here, so stay strong a little longer."
At that moment, as Gyu-tae stepped down, the ground suddenly gave way underneath. He lost his balance, and his arms gave out. Fortunately, his two daughters remained in his arms. But his wife, whom he had been holding, was nowhere to be seen.
"Between the ditches, the water suddenly got deep. It was as deep as my height. So when I suddenly went completely under, while I was trying to open my eyes, my wife was swept away."
- Yeom Gyu-tae, resident of Daedong Village in Gangneung at the time
When he turned his head, his wife was being swept away by the raging rapid far off in the distance. Gyu-tae could only watch helplessly.
"Honey. Eun-mi's mom! I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."
Without time to rescue his wife, he held his two daughters tightly in both arms again and shouted:
"Eun-mi, Eun-hee! Hold on tight to Daddy. Never let go."
Gyu-tae barely made his way through the flooded waters under the pouring rain. As he walked frantically, he turned his head toward the children, but his second daughter Eun-mi was nowhere to be seen. He didn't even know when or where he had lost her. Although he tried with all his strength while holding tight to his eldest daughter, he eventually lost Eun-mi in the swirling waters as well.
Devastated, Gyu-tae felt all the strength leave his body. Eventually, Gyu-tae was also swept away by the raging current. After floating away for who knows how long, when Gyu-tae regained consciousness, he found himself at a fish farm about 1 kilometer away from his home. Although Gyu-tae dramatically survived, the fate of his wife and two daughters was unknown. From then on, he began searching desperately for his family.
At that time, rain in Gangneung was not just pouring, it was torrential. The staff at the Gangneung City Hall response headquarters were all running around trying to find a way to open the floodgates of Obong Dam. But just then, the official in charge of managing the dam rushed in, pale with fear, and shouted:
"The floodgates of Obong Dam have opened! But there's a bigger problem."
They were finally opened. But there was an even bigger problem.
"Fortunately, the floodgates opened. But if 875 mm of rain falls in a single day, it's rain beyond our imagination. It was like pouring water out of buckets. So water kept filling Obong Dam. That's when the construction division chief came in and reported, 'There's only about 1 meter left until maximum water level.'"
- Kim Oh-kyeong, Vice Mayor of Gangneung at the time
Because so much rain fell, far more water was rushing into the dam than could drain out through the floodgates. As a result, the water level at Obong Dam reached 119.6 meters. Only 1.4 meters remained until full capacity. At that moment, an employee rushed over and handed this over:
It was an evacuation order. Have you ever heard of a city-wide evacuation order in your lifetime? This was a situation that would typically only occur during a war. It was truly an unprecedented crisis. The person who had to make this decision was the mayor of Gangneung. However, he could not sign it hastily. What was the situation in Gangneung at the time? It had turned into a sea of water. On top of the relentless pouring rain, the current was so strong that even young people could barely stand straight. Furthermore, with the power outage, the entire city was pitch-black. Imagine all citizens evacuating in this situation. An even bigger disaster could happen.
Opinions were divided among the staff as well. After pondering deeply for a long time, he said with a determined look on his face:
"The typhoon will pass within today. Let's wait."
What became of the fate of the people of Gangneung that day?
▲ The Last Phone Call with Her Husband
At that time, 30-year-old Lee Yun-jeong was in Samcheonpo, South Gyeongsang Province, with her 32-month-old daughter. Strong winds blew where Yun-jeong was as well, but fortunately, it did not rain heavily. However, the problem was Yun-jeong's husband.
Yun-jeong's husband was Captain Kim Yeong-gon, who served as a company commander in the Iron Wall Unit of the 23rd Infantry Division in Gangneung. The Iron Wall Unit of the 23rd Division was responsible for guarding the complex East Coast line. Furthermore, this unit was newly established after experiencing a major incident—the 1996 Gangneung submarine infiltration incident, in which 26 North Korean special forces personnel infiltrated. Because it was created following that event, it was a unit entrusted with a vital mission.
Captain Kim Yeong-gon was a company commander in such a unit. He was said to be deeply trusted by both his soldiers and superiors. Hearing this story, what kind of person do you think he was? Captain Kim was a man with a strong sense of righteousness, often volunteering to handle tough tasks. He was an excellent soldier to his country, a reliable husband at home, and a father deeply devoted to his daughter.
Eight months earlier, in January 2002, Captain Kim Yeong-gon had been assigned to the Iron Wall Unit in Gangneung. However, official housing for his family to live together had not been assigned yet. So his wife, Yun-jeong, went down to her hometown of Samcheonpo in South Gyeongsang Province with their daughter, eagerly waiting for the day official housing would become available.
On the night of August 31, 2002, when the typhoon struck, Yun-jeong was filled with worry for her husband. He was a husband who called every single evening, but there was no call from him that day. As she lay awake anxiously, her mobile phone rang.
"Yun-jeong, I'm sorry. Am I too late? It's intense here right now."
It was the call from her husband that she had been waiting for so desperately.
"When he said 'It's intense here,' I think it was around 10 p.m. He said water had flooded the area heavily, so he had evacuated all the soldiers to a safe place, and he was on his way back after finishing the evacuation... But at the time, I didn't know Gangwon Province was in that state. There was a power outage then, so I couldn't watch TV. After getting that call, I remember prostrating myself and praying that nothing bad would happen to him."
- Lee Yun-jeong, wife of Captain Kim Yeong-gon
Captain Kim was saying he was returning after evacuating all the soldiers safely. Hearing that, Yun-jeong felt somewhat relieved.
Around the time Yun-jeong hung up with her husband, the water level at Obong Dam had climbed to 120.2 meters. The full capacity level of Obong Dam is 121 meters. Only 80 cm remained until overflow. 0.8 meters. A suffocating silence hung over the response headquarters. Just then, the official in charge of the dam came running in, breathing heavily:
"Mayor! The water level at Obong Dam is dropping. The rain is stopping."
Looking out the window, the rain was gradually slowing down. At this rate, the water would drain away quickly. That was past midnight.
"We survived. God has protected Gangneung City. 'The rain is easing, and the water level at Obong Dam is dropping slightly.' In the case of Gangneung, once the rain stops, the water quickly drains into the sea."
- Kim Oh-kyeong, Vice Mayor of Gangneung at the time
Rusa, which poured everything out for 22 hours, began in Goheung, South Jeolla Province, passed through Namwon and Muju in North Jeolla Province, Sangju in North Gyeongsang Province, and Jecheon in North Chungcheong Province, before dissipating near the waters off the East Coast.
On the morning of September 1, 2002, the day after the typhoon passed, the sky over Gangneung was unbelievably clear. However, the situation below the sky was 180 degrees different.
The area around Gangneung, where the rainwater had drained, was devastated enough to resemble a war zone. Concrete and asphalt were cracked everywhere. Submerged cars and furniture were stuck all over the roads, and houses and everything else were swept away, turned into ruins.
"The scenery I saw as I walked around downtown was just mud fields everywhere. Everything was covered in mud so white and thick that it was completely unrecognizable. Not a single household item or piece of furniture brought out of the houses was usable. That was how much water rushed in, bringing all that soil with it. The roads were practically mud fields themselves."
- Kim Jin-ho, amateur radio operator living in Gangneung at the time
"The grandfather was pushed outside, his neck caught under a persimmon tree over there. Still, neighbors managed to pull him out. But the grandmother was buried right here, so the 119 rescue team couldn't even reach her. People came with an excavator and found her body."
- Local resident
On this day alone, there were over 23,000 disaster victims who lost their homes and property in Gangneung. Firefighter Kwon Yeong-gak, who had been conducting rescue operations until early the previous morning, was still searching across the mud-flooded Gangneung area since morning. He was searching for missing people. On this day alone in Gangneung, 5 people went missing and 48 died.
"There were many cases where landslides hit houses, and bodies were recovered inside the homes. Some were washed all the way out to sea and couldn't even be found in the ocean, while others were found inside vehicles. A lot of things happened."
- Kwon Yeong-gak, firefighter dispatched to the scene at the time
Most of the casualties occurred during the morning commute. As a result, office workers heading to work for their daily livelihoods and students heading to school were swept away in an instant by the raging floodwaters, going missing or losing their lives.
And that morning, an urgent phone ring came from Yoon-jeong's mobile phone. It was a call from her mother-in-law.
"In the morning, mother called me on my mobile phone and urgently said, 'They say Yeong-gon can't be reached.' When I heard that urgent voice, I thought, 'What does this mean? What's going on all of a sudden?' To be honest, I don't even remember how I made it to Gangwon State after that."
- Lee Yoon-jeong, wife of Captain Kim Yeong-gon
When Yoon-jeong arrived in Gangneung, unit officials were all out waiting. With grim expressions, they said to her:
"We are sorry. The company commander went missing last night."
Yesterday he clearly said everyone was evacuated and he was returning safely. How on earth did this happen? After hanging up the phone, Captain Kim Yeong-gon was on his way to manage traffic with another soldier. But just then, an evacuating village resident stopped Captain Kim Yeong-gon and pleaded with him to rescue an elderly couple with mobility issues who were trapped inside the village hall.
Captain Kim shone a light in the darkness to look, and saw a village hall about 10 meters away. Listening carefully, he heard faint cries for help. As soon as he heard the cries, Captain Kim Yeong-gon immediately began gathering rescue equipment. At that moment, the soldiers with him said, "Company Commander, we will go." To which Captain Kim replied, "No. It's dangerous, so I will go in first, check the situation, and give you a signal."
"I think he didn't calculate the risks at all. My husband definitely thought of his own parents first when those people asked for help. He always acted with the mindset of 'What if it were my parents? What if it were my sibling? What if it were my child?' and was always the first to step up."
- Lee Yoon-jeong, wife of Captain Kim Yeong-gon
Captain Kim waded through currents that rose up to chest height, holding onto a railing as he moved toward the village hall. After a while, the waiting soldiers saw something in the dark. Fortunately, the elderly couple rescued from the village hall was making their way out through the water. The soldiers ran over and supported the elderly couple. However, Captain Kim Yeong-gon was nowhere to be seen. While rescuing the elderly couple at the village hall, Captain Kim had lost his balance and been swept away due to a sudden strong gust of wind and surging water. It was an incident that happened right after he ended his call with Yoon-jeong.
"Honestly, I couldn't hear anything at that time. I couldn't accept any of it. Back then, I wondered, 'Is this really reality?' It didn't feel real. All I could think was, 'Please, just be alive.' Then thoughts like this crossed my mind: 'Is he injured somewhere and too embarrassed to come out? Is he leaving because he dislikes me?' I even thought, 'If only he were alive somewhere and could come back later, even much later.'"
- Lee Yoon-jeong, wife of Captain Kim Yeong-gon
The entire unit was mobilized to search for Captain Kim Yeong-gon. It had already been four days that Yoon-jeong searched frantically for her husband. Captain Kim was nowhere to be found.
"I went up on September 1, and I don't remember how I spent September 2, 3, and 4. Looking at the sea, I thought, 'Should I jump in too? Will you show up if I jump in? Why aren't you showing up?' Just when everyone was growing exhausted, on that final fourth day, my father's friend came running from far away saying, 'We found him, we found Yeong-gon...'"
- Lee Yoon-jeong, wife of Captain Kim Yeong-gon
"Wailing continued throughout the funeral ceremony sending off the deceased. Family, friends, and military personnel all wept. His wife was lost for words. He was a husband she loved and trusted so deeply that she still could not believe his death. His 4-year-old only daughter, who did not understand her father's death, maintained an innocent expression throughout the ceremony, breaking the hearts of onlookers even more."
- From news reports at the time
"Even when I saw the body, I couldn't believe it. Is this really my husband? Is this really my child's father? In front of the portrait, my child said, 'That's my dad.' My child couldn't accept her father's death either. All I could say was 'I'm sorry.' Why did you leave me, leave us behind?"
- Lee Yoon-jeong, wife of Captain Kim Yeong-gon
Captain Kim Yeong-gon thus departed from his beloved family and was laid to rest at the Seoul National Cemetery.
The two of them were said to have had a relationship more special than most couples. They first met 10 years earlier, when they were high school seniors. That day was Yoon-jeong's birthday. After school, while having a modest birthday party by a local stream, male students nearby came over to congratulate Yoon-jeong on her birthday. One of them was Yeong-gon.
"We were complete strangers, but meeting like that on my birthday connected us. He felt like a birthday gift that came to me. His first impression was mischievous, but he was handsome. He was handsome and very warm-hearted. My husband lived in the city, while I was a country person. He was so nice that he even brought this country girl along to buy her pork cutlet..."
- Lee Yoon-jeong, wife of Captain Kim Yeong-gon
After that, the two continued to stay in touch, growing from friends into lovers, and eventually becoming husband and wife.
"I thought that if you date, you get married. Although we met as friends, we lived as lovers, so I naturally thought about marriage. Even now, it's the same. Even now, I feel like he might open the door and walk in, or if my phone rings, he'll call me 'Jeong-a.' If there were a time machine, I would really want to go back. If only we hadn't parted, if only we hadn't lived apart..."
- Lee Yoon-jeong, wife of Captain Kim Yeong-gon
Yoon-jeong, who was waiting for the day they could live together once official quarters were assigned, last saw her husband on August 15, half a month before Typhoon Rusa struck. That was their first meeting in eight months. Before parting after spending a happy time with his family after so long, Yeong-gon said this to Yoon-jeong:
"Yoon-jeong, let's endure just a little longer. If we wait a little more, we will be able to live together soon."
She never dreamed that those words would be his last.
▲ The Pain of Those Left Behind
And there is one more person searching for his missing family. Gyu-tae, who lost his two daughters and wife. He walked all over the Gangneung coast to find his family who were swept away by the waters, but could not see them anywhere. Just then, a phone call came for Gyu-tae.
"This is Gangneung Police Station. Your wife's name is Park Gyeong-suk, correct? We have found your wife."
"They found her the very next day. They saw her washed ashore by the waves on the beach. They sent a photo asking if it was her. I looked first, and my younger brother looked and confirmed it was her, so we went. We went to a hospital in Donghae. She was lying still, as if sleeping."
- Yeom Gyu-tae, Daedong Village resident in Gangneung at the time
Gyu-tae's wife returned as a cold corpse. After that, Gyu-tae wandered along the beaches and rivers of Gangneung, searching for the children (i-dle). Desperately praying that they were alive somewhere. Were the two daughters, Eun-mi and Eun-hui, safe?
"Yeom Eun-mi, who went missing when Typhoon Rusa struck, was found in a resident's rice paddy after 37 days. A local resident discovered Miss Yeom lying dead in the rice field that day and reported it to the police."
- From news reports at the time
"You have to consider that I wasn't in my right mind. It would be strange if I were sane. Because I lost hold of their hands, because I saw them being washed away in that powerful current back then. If I had just reached out my hand a little more, they could have lived..."
- Yeom Gyu-tae, Daedong Village resident in Gangneung at the time
The eldest daughter, Eun-mi, was found in a nearby rice field. And more than a month later, the youngest, Eun-hui, was also found. Gyu-tae, who lost his entire family right before his eyes in an instant, was left only with the family's personal belongings stained by the floodwaters.
The grief of the family left behind. August 31 was the second daughter Eun-hui's birthday. Unable to go on the trip to the sea she had dreamed of, that day became 4-year-old Eun-hui's last birthday. Gyu-tae is said to have scattered the ashes of his wife and children (i-dle) near their home. And there is something he carries with him every day even to this day: photographs of his daughters.
"Because I look at them all the time. I look at them because they are always in my heart. Would I look at them if they weren't in my heart? If my daughter had grown up, she would be an adult now and we could walk together. Sometimes she suddenly comes to mind. When she comes to mind, I take a walk around (where my wife and daughter were laid to rest) and come back. All I can say is 'Please be well,' 'Be well...'"
- Yeom Gyu-tae, Daedong Village resident in Gangneung at the time
Normally, typhoons that cause severe damage have their names retired. That means erasing the name. It is done out of respect for victims who would suffer when recalling the typhoon's name. Thus, the name Typhoon Rusa was also permanently retired.
By the way, is there a typhoon name you remember among those that struck our country? Typhoon Maemi. Most people recall Typhoon Rusa and Typhoon Maemi, which occurred one year later. Rusa also caused immense damage, leaving behind many records, but now, 24 years later, memories of Rusa are fading.
Even now, after a long period of 24 years, Gyu-tae still lives in the house where he lived with his family. The 4-year-old young daughter who was running around knowing nothing on the day of Captain Kim Yeong-gon's funeral ceremony has now grown into an adult preparing for marriage. Moved by her daughter's words that she wants to remember her father for a long time, Yoon-jeong plucked up the courage to stand in front of the camera.
In just a single day, a ruthless typhoon caused many people to lose their precious family members. Some still cannot bring themselves to touch a steering wheel on rainy days because of the memories of that day, while others continue to bury their loved ones in their hearts to this day. We may retire the name Rusa, but we must never forget those who suffered its damage.
What are your thoughts "today" after hearing the story of "that day"?
(SBS Entertainment News, Reporter Kang Sun-ae)
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