What is the meaning of life?When an ordinary person is faced with the heavy blows of life, the despair in his heart gradually accumulates, and finally turns into resentment against the world, what crazy thing will he do to end his life?In February 2003, a subway arson case in Daegu, South Korea, shocked the world, claiming 198 lives.
Why would an ordinary taxi driver suddenly become a butcher?When the fire of hell devours countless lives, what earth-shattering grievances are hidden behind it?
In 2002, Kim Daehan in Daegu, South Korea, was already a middle-aged man. He has been working as a taxi driver for many years, and his income is meager, and his life is not easy. In 1999, he had his first mental problems and was diagnosed with mental illness. The doctor prescribed boxes of medicines, but even though the drugs could stabilize his mental state, Kim Dahan still couldn't get rid of the difficulties in his life. His introverted personality prevented him from building a good relationship with his passengers, and his income did not improve much.
In 2001, Kim Dahan suffered a stroke, resulting in paralysis of the right half of his body. Severely disabled, he can no longer drive for a living. After that, he suffered from a series of complications such as aphasia and cerebral infarction. Kim Dahan is suffering from mild depression, and the torment of this series of illnesses is undoubtedly worse. He had to give up his job and hobbled home waiting for the day when his body would recover. The physical pain was enough, and he had to face all kinds of pressures from life.
Kim Dae-han went to the hospital** with the right half of his body paralyzed, hoping to recover to the extent that he could work. However, even though he continued to go in and out of major hospitals and take the latest drugs, his condition did not improve at all. Failure and despair gradually crushed the fragile heart of this middle-aged man. The idea that "there is no more hope in this world" has increasingly become a leitmotif in his life.
In the summer of 2002, the weight of life almost crushed Jin Dahan's whole person. He decided to put an end to this endless suffering, and even tried to jump off the bridge to find a short view, but was fortunately rescued by the police. A month later, he ran into the hospital again and begged the doctor on duty to let him overdose of anesthetic and end his long and painful life. But the doctor refused his request.
When an ordinary person goes through so much pain and despair, what reason is there to live?Perhaps only one last crazy revenge remains. He wants to let the world that hurt him taste the same pain as he did in those years.
In the early morning of February 18, 2003, Kim Dahan came to a gas station. He carried two large 20-liter plastic drums and filled them with 7,500 won of gasoline. The strong smell irritated his nasal passages, reminding him of what to do next. Then carrying these equipment, which can easily ignite the fire of hell, walk step by step to Songclam Station of Line 1.
The target he chose was the 1079 train to Ansin-dong. Kim Daehan is no stranger to this subway line, because it used to be where he works every day. Now, this subway will be his first target for revenge on this world. Since there is no security check in the Korean subway, Kim Dahan walked into the subway station without hindrance and boarded the 1079 train.
The rush hour has passed, and there are only a few passengers in car 3. Kim sat down at the back of the carriage, one hand in his pocket, clutching the lighter. He could feel the cold metallic texture in his palms, which made him feel emotional and a hint of pleasure at the same time. When the train was about to enter the ** road station, he stood up sharply and unscrewed the lid of the gasoline can. An old man next to him rushed over with an exclamation, but before he could catch him, a ball of fire had already spread on the ground.
Thick black smoke quickly filled the carriage, and the passengers panicked and stumbled towards the door. Several brave men saw this astonishing scene and rushed forward to try to catch the arsonist. At this moment, train No. 1079 slowly drove into the platform of ** Road Station, the door opened, and people rushed out to flee for their lives. The young men had no choice but to let go of Jin Dahan and run towards the exit, leaving Jin Dahan alone trapped in the spreading fire. However, instead of giving up, he took out another bucket of gasoline from his bag and sprinkled it on the car connection, trying to make the entire subway train engulfed by a larger hellfire.
The fire that started in the subway did not stop there. The six carriages were quickly engulfed in flames, and the air was filled with a pungent smell. There was a power outage in the station, and the environment was dark. "All passengers are requested to remain calm and evacuate in an orderly manner in the direction of the lights. The radio was still repeating, but there was no light on in the pitch black.
At the same time, another train No. 1080 also entered this hell. As soon as the doors opened, the driver realized the danger and wanted to start the train out of the heat. However, the power-off station brought the hell machine to a standstill, and thousands of flames swarmed in, surrounding the people inside the carriage.
Mom, help me!Li Meiying, a junior in high school, called her mother with a cough and a hic. The cries and desperate goodbyes from there made her mother's heart go through the cracks. Just when she called her daughter's ** again, there was no sound on the other end - because the smoke made her unconscious. In the carriage, someone also dialed 110, choked up and said the number and location of the carriage, and asked for rescue. However, soon no one answered, and they could no longer contact the world on the ground.
Hundreds of passengers desperately searched for an exit in the subway station, only to wait in despair for the judgment of death in the thick smoke. Like moths, they pounce on the fire that is about to consume them. Some slammed the doors, others struggled at the junction of the carriages, but soon they were all robbed of what little strength they had left in the choking smoke.
However, in the No. 4 carriage of train 1080, a passenger named Kwon Chun-sub became the savior of this hell. He is a station manager with 10 years of experience as a driver. When he smelled the growing smell of burnt paste in the carriage, he realized that danger was coming. As soon as he saw the driver refusing to open the door, he took decisive action – knowing that it meant that everyone would be killed in the disaster.
Kwon Chun-sub rushed to the door of the car and pressed the emergency switch, and in the darkness he held his mobile phone to light the way out for the passengers behind him. "Everybody come with me!He exclaimed, "We have to get out of here!"Kwon Chun-sub led more than 60 people in the carriage out of the subway station, stumbling all the way to escape.
Under the smoke and dust, they finally saw the bright sunshine on the ground under the leadership of this savior. However, it was Kwon Chun-sub himself who was admitted to the hospital for inhaling excessive smoke.
The people rescued by Kwon Chun-sub became the only survivors, and the rest of the passengers in the carriage slammed the doors in desperation to fight against death, and finally turned into black corpses. They are glad that they have a brush with death, but they also deeply regret the lives that have been lost.
At 10:17 a.m., the fire brigade received a fire alarm and rushed to the scene. Sixty-six fire trucks sprayed water into the ground, but the fire did not subside. The on-site commander judged that this was a special fire at an underground site that was difficult to control, and immediately called in the rescue forces of various units. ** Build a cordon on the ground to stop anxious family members. "Please step back!There are major safety hazards on site!"The police were conducting crowd dispersal while anxiously awaiting further instructions from the fire department.
At 1:38, the fire was finally extinguished. However, the scene underneath was already brutal: the charred body crawled on the stairs leading to the exit, and a burnt skeleton leaned against the wall. In the hellish compartment, firefighters found only sporadic pieces of flesh left on the aluminum frame.
Initially they found 20 bodies, then 32, and then on train 1080, 72 charred bones came into view. The city of Daegu soon announced a five-day mourning period, with flags at half-mast in mourning. All life turned into dry bones in an instant, and the families did not even have a chance to say goodbye, but could only pay tribute to the people they would never come back from in front of the funeral home.
On March 26, Jin Dahan, who set fire to the fire, and two train drivers were arrested and brought to justice. Six metro executives were also interviewed. Kim Daehan doesn't have much remorse for his actions, saying that this is the last time he can resist the world. The court eventually sentenced him to life imprisonment. The two derelict train drivers were sentenced to four and five years in prison, respectively.
However, no matter how heavy the sanctions, none of this seems to make much sense compared to the 198 lives lost. Since the subway company only insured 1 billion won, the families of each victim could only receive a mere 7 million won, which is equivalent to more than 40,000 yuan. **Eventually, a special project was set up to make up the claim, but that would not help the bereaved family.
On December 31, 2003, the ** Road subway station was reopened, and the train happily passed the tracks. However, no one knows how many people were at the crossroads of hell just a year ago today. The sins of others caused the death of innocents;The dereliction of duty of others gives hope to the survivors. What can we do to get justice for those lives that have been lost?
When Kim Dahan fled for his life, his foot was caught by the subway door and he couldn't move. Perhaps at that moment, he truly experienced the despair and fear of countless passengers who were cornered. It turns out that this is how they felt before they died. When an insignificant person wanted to end his life, he didn't seem to think that he would be drawn into the whirlpool of hell because of this.
Maybe Kim Dahan just meant to take revenge on society and free himself. But when our sins are so deep, their impact is often unimaginable. And what can we, as ordinary people, do to prevent similar tragedies from happening again?Every life that comes into the world will be intertwined with countless other lives to form a community of destiny. Ultimately, we are all responsible for our own actions, but at the same time, we are also responsible for the fate of others that may be affected.
This hell on earth is finally over, and the hope of a new life is tomorrow. We have one last question left: what will you and I live for?