Chuseok is a time when families gather to share affection. However, for some, the holiday is a day that painfully highlights their shattered lives and the empty spaces left by family members. In mid-August, torrential rains described as a once-in-a-100-to-200-year event lashed the areas of Geoje and Tongyeong in South Gyeongsang Province. Eun-jin, who lives on Gonri Island in Tongyeong, is at risk of losing the home she has lived in for nearly 30 years since her marriage due to the recent downpours. She managed to prevent casualties by evacuating quickly, but she cannot return home due to the risk of secondary collapses. Minsu (alias), who runs a minbak (guesthouse) in the village, also went through a terrifying moment. As the retaining wall behind his house collapsed, a pile of mud instantly engulfed his mother. His mother, who was narrowly rescued, is receiving hospital treatment, and Minsu is also recovering from his own injuries while caring for his mother and restoring their home. Left with deep scars inflicted by the floods, the residents of Gonri village welcomed this Chuseok amid worry and anxiety. There are also those who live entirely forgetting about the holiday. Seong-chul, who lives in Gwangju, lost his wife and daughter in the Jeju Air passenger plane disaster. Spending difficult times to the point of quitting his job and suffering from insomnia, Seong-chul received another major shock some time ago. Contrary to the government's explanation announced about half a month after the disaster that "debris cleanup was 99% complete," presumed remains of the victims were successively discovered here and there among aircraft wreckage and around the airport. Since re-searches began in April, approximately 1,650 pieces of presumed remains have been additionally recovered. With nearly two years passing since the disaster without a final investigation into the cause of the accident or accountability, some bereaved families are still continuing their tent life at the airport to this day.
In June 2024, Lee Soon-hee lost her oldest daughter, who was then 24 years old, in the Aricell factory fire in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province. It happened not long after her daughter came to South Korea saying she wanted to be close to her parents after graduating from a normal university in China. Soon-hee, whose heart breaks at the thought of her daughter, received another major shock this April. The prison sentence of the CEO of Aricell, who had been sentenced to 15 years in prison on charges including violations of the Serious Accidents Punishment Act, was drastically reduced to 4 years in prison in the second trial. As the prosecution appealed, the case awaits a decision from the Supreme Court. Holidays have long since disappeared from Soon-hee's household after losing her daughter. As the time to demand accountability for the disaster drags on, the family's pain deepens day by day.
Lee Young-moon, approaching the age of eighty, is spending his tenth Chuseok without his son Jae-yong. Jae-yong, who was aboard the Stellar Daisy that sank in the South Atlantic in 2007, was the youngest child born after three daughters, holding a special place in his heart. Two years after the accident, the government's first deep-sea search was conducted, and while the hull, voyage data recorder, and objects presumed to be remains were found, the recovery of remains was ultimately not achieved. In the meantime, nearly 10 years have passed, and the families have been watching related trials and procedures while demanding the clarification of causes and responsibilities. His mother's eyes welled with tears as she said she wanted to recover her son's remains and hold a funeral for him as soon as possible. People who have lost their livelihoods, beloved families, and even their ordinary daily lives. They are enduring a long and difficult time while demanding restoration, searches, thorough clarification of responsibility, and prevention of recurrence.

This week on SBS News Story, in observance of the national holiday Chuseok, we listen to the stories of those spending difficult times following disasters and tragedies, and examine the tasks our society must look into until the very end to help the victims resume their daily lives.