[News Today] 30 YEARS SINCE BRIDGE COLLAPSE

[LEAD]
This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Seongsu Bridge collapse. This tragedy shocked the whole nation and highlighted "complacency in safety." Still grieving in pain, the bereaved families conducted a memorial service, calling for a safer society.

[REPORT]
KBS News 9 (Oct. 21, 1994)/
This morning, Seongsudaegyo Bridge was nothing less than a site of a catastrophe.

The collapse of the Seongsudaegyo Bridge in Seoul took the lives of 32 people who were just starting out their days.

The combination of shabby construction and safety negligence tarnished the country's reputation, giving it the nickname, "a republic of accidents."
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Three decades have already gone by since the tragedy.

White flowers are laid in front of a memorial tower dedicated to the victims.

To the bereaved families, October is still a month of unbearable sadness.

Kim Yang-soo / Bereaved family
Even after so many years, I still cannot take this road. It makes me immensely sad.

Students came to pay tribute to their seniors who lost their lives on the way to school.

Kim Min-yun / Student, Muhak Girls' High School
The words of your souls are deeper and clearer than those who are still alive.

The victims' families are calling for a safer society so that the sacrifices of their loved ones are not in vein.

Kim Hak-yun / Bereaved family
We hope that tragedies like the collapse of Seongsudaegyo Bridge will never happen again.

The bereaved families also asked for the memorial tower to be relocated, as it is currently hard to find and difficult to access.

The Seoul metropolitan government said relocation is currently difficult, but promised to improve traffic safety in the area by installing safety lights around pedestrian crosswalks.