Why did the bus driver step on the accelerator that day?

On the October 1 broadcast of SBS's "Tails of Tales," the program investigated the day of the 1970 Gyeongseo Middle School field trip bus disaster.

On October 14, 1970, third-year students from Seoul's Gyeongseo Middle School boarded buses heading home after a joyful school trip. While taking in the scenery on their way back to Seoul, their bus collided with an oncoming train.

The scene instantly turned into complete chaos, and the force of the collision caused the bus engine to explode, engulfing the vehicle in flames.

Some students aboard the colliding Bus No. 3 quickly escaped outside. However, the vast majority of students were trapped and unable to move. Local villagers who witnessed the scene rushed to help rescue the students, but due to iron pipe structures attached to the bus, they could not properly pull the students out, and the bus burned more and more intensely.

Recorded as the most catastrophic bus disaster in South Korea since liberation, the 1970 Gyeongseo Middle School field trip tragedy involved 473 third-year students and 11 teachers divided across seven buses. Tragically, Bus No. 3, which met with the accident, was carrying 77 students.

Bus No. 3 carried all the students of Class 3 and some from Class 4. More than 40 fatalities occurred on this single bus alone, leaving behind profound sorrow.

However, investigations revealed that not a single teacher responsible for supervising the children was on board the crashed bus. Consequently, authorities pointed to the absence of supervising teachers as a major cause of the disaster.

Survivors strongly objected, raising their voices: "You won't find this story anywhere in the media. This is completely false."

At the time, before the buses departed for Seoul, two students had gone missing, prompting the teachers to search for them and help them onto the bus. But before the students and teachers could finish boarding each bus, Bus No. 3 suddenly departed first. The teachers hurried to board the remaining buses; it was not that teachers refused to ride Bus No. 3, but that they were left behind and unable to board it.

Furthermore, reports claiming that the students were singing loudly enough to make the bus noisy also turned out to be false.

It was revealed that the driver of Bus No. 3 could not see the train approaching the tracks due to a two-story rice mill and a row of residential houses located directly in front of the railroad crossing. When he could not see a train despite hearing the alarm bell, he stepped on the accelerator instead of the brake to quickly cross the tracks.

The accident site lacked a crossing gate, which is essential for any railroad crossing. In addition, despite the need for an attendant to manage vehicular traffic, only a warning bell had been installed, adding to the tragedy's heartbreaking nature.

What was supposed to be a joyful school trip turned into a nightmare in an instant, leaving horrific memories for the survivors. The survivors recalled a dear friend they had missed for 56 years.

Among the injured at the time, Park Min-taek suffered the most severe burn injuries. At one point, Min-taek completely lost touch with his classmates, and until recently, no one remained in contact with him.

The show searched for Min-taek, whom his classmates missed so dearly. The production team finally located him after decades of living through painful memories. Gathering his courage to respond to his classmates' longing hearts, he went to reunite with them.

Every October since the disaster, the survivors visit the graves of their departed classmates. When Min-taek appeared before them after 56 years, they looked on in disbelief.

Min-taek greeted them, saying, "Long time no see, it's Park Min-taek," to which his friends responded with immense joy, "Is that really you, Min-taek? You're alive!"

Looking at Min-taek, who still bore the scars from that day, his friends expressed deep sorrow, saying, "You lived your entire life like that. Oh dear." In particular, Min-taek expressed anguish over having almost no memory of his middle school days, to which a friend comforted him, saying, "That's because of the trauma. You blocked it out."

However, as Min-taek began recalling memories of those days one by one with his friends, they finally shared smiles together, moving viewers to tears.

Even while carrying the enduring wounds of that day, the survivors laughed out loud during their reunion with Min-taek and expressed their deep gratitude to the broadcast for bringing them together. Afterward, they headed with Min-taek to visit the resting place of their fallen classmates.

After clearing the weed-covered burial site, the friends bowed in respect to their departed classmates. Looking toward the solitary graves that few ever visit, one friend said, "Don't feel sad thinking you were abandoned. You have friends who still remember you like this. Rest in peace, we'll visit again so you won't be lonely," touching many hearts. Another friend playfully quipped, "It won't be long until we see each other now." 

(SBS Entertainment News | Kim Hyo-jung)