Joint memorial altars set up nationwide to honor victims

[Anchor]

In addition to Gwangju and Jeonnam, joint memorial altars have been set up across the country to commemorate the victims.

Despite the cold winter weather, a procession of mourners continues to honor the souls that have tragically passed away.

Reporter Choi In-young reports.

[Report]

Citizens enter the joint memorial altar with solemn expressions.

To comfort the souls of the victims, they place a single chrysanthemum.

[Choi Byeong-sam/Osan City, Gyeonggi Province: "They lost their lives suddenly in an unfortunate accident. I hope they go to a good place and rest in peace."]

Among the victims of this tragedy were four citizens from Osan, Gyeonggi Province.

It was a mother and her two teenage daughters, along with their elementary school-aged youngest son, who had gone on a family trip to celebrate their grandfather's 80th birthday.

The news that a friend who had been with them just a few days ago had passed away.

The young students could not hide their tears.

Adults felt their hearts breaking just the same.

[Kim Saetbyeol/Osan City, Gyeonggi Province: "As a parent raising a child, I can only imagine how difficult it must have been for them at the time of the accident..."]

Mourners prayed for the victims to rest in peace.

[Kim Min-jeong/Cheongju City, Chungcheongbuk-do: "As a parent raising a child, I saw that there was a baby on the list of victims. I prayed that they would take their happy memories with them and go to a good place."]

It is a tragic situation where victims have emerged not only from Gwangju and Jeonnam but also from across the country including Jeju, Busan, and Seoul.

The joint memorial altars set up nationwide will be operational until the national mourning period ends on Jan. 4.

This is KBS News, Choi In-young.