'The victim could have been me' '희생자가 나였을 수도 있어

[김우정]

지난 월요일 밤 서울시청부근 도로변에서 자동차사고로 9명의 시민이 목숨을 잃었습니다.
동료들의 승진회식에 참석했던 신한은행 간부 4명이 사망했습니다.
평소에 열심히 일하던 2명의 서울시청직원도 세상을 떠났습니다.
급발진사고인지 과속사고인지를 규명해도 그들은 돌아올 수 없는 길을 갔습니다.
 
'The victim could have been me'
'희생자가 나였을 수도 있어'

By Jung Da-hyun 정다현
Posted : 2024-07-05 16:41 Updated : 2024-07-05 16:43
Korea Times

Flowers are laid near Seoul City Hall, Thursday, at the site where a deadly car crash killed nine people, Monday. Yonhap 9명의 사망자를 낸 자동차 사고 현장에 목요일 서울시청 인근에 꽃이 놓여있다. 연합

Citizens gripped with fear in daily lives following series of tragic deaths
연이은 비극적인 죽음에 시민들은 일상에서 두려움에 사로잡혔다

Citizens are left in shock following a tragic car crash that claimed nine lives last Monday night, as it occurred at a busy intersection in central Seoul near a bustling restaurant district frequented by office workers and residents.
Regular visitors to the district are seized with the aftermath of this devastating incident, which has led to fears that "it could have been me."
지난 월요일 밤 9명의 목숨을 앗아간 비극적인 자동차 사고 이후, 직장인들과 주민들이 자주 찾는 번화한 식당가 근처 서울 중심가의 번화한 교차로에서 일어났기 때문에 시민들은 충격에 빠져있다. 이 지역을 찾는 단골손님들은 이번 참혹한 사건의 여파에 사로잡혀 '나였을 수도 있다'는 우려가 나오고 있다

Jung Hae-won, a 27-year-old office worker, said that she was in the vicinity, having dinner with co-workers on the same day and at the same time as the tragic event.
회사원 정해원(27)씨는 비극적인 사건과 같은 날, 동시에 직장 동료들과 저녁을 먹는 등 인근에 있었다고 말했다.

"I was so shocked after hearing the news. My parents and friends also called me because they were worried. I thought this really could happen to me," she told The Korea Times.
"나는 그 소식을 듣고 매우 충격을 받았다. 부모님과 친구들도 걱정이 돼서 저에게 전화를 했다. 나는 정말 이런 일이 나에게 일어날 수 있다고 생각했다," 라고 그녀가 코리아 타임즈에 말했다.

Jung was with her coworkers celebrating someone's promotion, a very common gathering for workers at financial companies these days. She was dining just one block behind Seoul City Hall, only a 10-minute walk from the accident site.
정 씨는 요즘 금융회사 직원들에겐 흔한 모임인 승진인사를 동료들과 함께 하고 있었다. 정 씨는 사고 현장에서 도보로 10분 거리인 서울시청 뒤편 한 블록에서 식사를 하고 있었다.

"The situation of the victims as reported was so similar to my own that day. It was even more unfortunate and scary to think that it could have been me," she said.
그는 "보도된 피해자들의 상황은 그날 내 상황과 너무 비슷했다 나였을 수도 있다는 생각에 더욱 안타깝고 무서웠다"고 말했다.

Four of the victims in the accident were employees of a nearby bank. They were also having a dinner to celebrate the promotions of their colleagues and were standing on the sidewalk when the tragedy occurred.
사고 희생자 중 4명은 인근 은행 직원들이었다. 이들은 동료들의 승진을 축하하기 위해 저녁 식사를 하고 있었고, 참사가 일어났을 때 인도에 서 있었다.

"After the accident, I thought I should avoid the big roadside as much as possible," Jung said.

정씨는 "사고가 난 뒤 최대한 큰 길가를 피해야겠다는 생각이 들었다,"고 말했다.

Temporary fences are installed, Wednesday, at the site of an accident near City Hall Station where a vehicle crashed into pedestrians and killed nine people, Monday. Yonhap 월요일 시청역 인근에서 차량이 보행자를 들이받아 9명이 숨지는 사고가 발생한 현장에 임시 울타리가 설치돼 있다. 연합

Park Yoon-il, a 32-year-old office worker based in an office near Seoul Station, expressed that the accident felt particularly frightening as it occurred on a street he often visited.
서울역 인근 사무실에 근무하는 직장인 박윤일(32)씨는 이번 사고가 평소 자주 찾던 거리에서 발생해 유독 공포감을 느꼈다고 토로했다.

"After watching the CCTV footage, I realized the damage was inevitable, no matter how careful people were. It was completely unpredictable," he said.
그는 "CCTV 영상을 보고 나서 사람들이 아무리 조심해도 피해가 불가피하다는 것을 깨달았다며 전혀 예측할 수 없었다."고 말했다.

"Sometimes I listen to music with earphones or check my phone while walking, but now I'm trying to avoid that to be more careful."
"가끔 이어폰을 끼고 음악을 듣거나 걸으면서 휴대폰을 확인할 때도 있는데, 지금은 좀 더 조심하려고 그런 걸 피하려고 한다."

An official from Jung District Office in Seoul, surnamed Song, also expressed anxiety, saying, "I felt sorry knowing it happened at a time when anyone in the neighborhood could be working late and stepping out after eating. It could have happened to anyone."
서울 중구청 관계자 송모씨도 "동네 사람이라면 누구나 늦게까지 일하고 밥먹고 나갈 수 있는 상황에서 벌어진 일이라는 것을 알고 미안한 마음이 들었다며 누구에게나 일어날 수 있는 일이었다."고 불안감을 드러냈다.

Bereaved families mourn and lay flowers at a memorial altar for victims of a lithium battery plant fire in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, Thursday. Yonhap 10일 경기 화성시 리튬전지 공장 화재 희생자 분향소에서 유족들이 애도와 헌화를 하고 있다. 연합

The car crash was just one of a series of tragic accidents which took the lives of everyday people, and this is intensifying fears among the public. 자동차 사고는 평범한 사람들의 목숨을 앗아간 비극적인 사고의 연속 중 하나였을 뿐이고, 이것은 대중들의 두려움을 증폭시키고 있다.

Just two days after the car crash, a taxi crashed into the National Medical Center building, the same building where an altar to one of the victims was set up, injuring three people.
차량 충돌 이틀 만에 택시가 희생자 1명의 제단이 설치된 같은 건물인 국립중앙의료원 건물을 들이받아 3명이 다쳤다.

A week earlier, on June 24, a fire at a lithium battery manufacturing plant in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, killed 23 people and injured eight.
Last year, a series of random stabbing rampages in crowded areas like Sillim Station in southern Seoul and Seohyeon Station in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, raised concerns about the potential for collective trauma among the public.
일주일 전인 지난 6월 24일 경기도 화성의 한 리튬전지 제조공장에서 발생한 화재로 23명이 숨지고 8명이 다쳤다. 지난해 서울 강남구 신림역과 경기 성남시 서현역 등 인파가 밀집한 지역에서 잇따라 흉기로 마구 찌르는 난동이 벌어지면서 국민들의 집단 트라우마 가능성에 대한 우려가 커지고 있다.

Experts explain that if such unpredictable disasters keep occurring at such ordinary places and times, citizens will suffer increasing psychological trauma as they see themselves in the victims.
전문가들은 이처럼 평범한 장소와 시간대에 이런 예측 불가능한 재난이 계속 발생한다면 시민들은 피해자들에게서 자신의 모습을 보면서 심리적 트라우마가 커질 것이라고 설명한다.

Paik Jong-woo, a professor at the Department of Psychiatry at Kyung Hee University College of Medicine, emphasized that the more people identify with the victims, the greater the psychological impact is.
경희대 의과대학 정신건강의학과 백종우 교수는 피해자와 동일시할수록 심리적 영향이 크다고 강조했다.

"When you look at the victims of the recent car crash near City Hall, many are the breadwinners of their families. The accident occurred on a sidewalk, a common space for pedestrians, leading to heightened feelings of depression and anxiety," he explained.
그는 "최근 시청 인근에서 발생한 차량 추돌사고 피해자들을 보면 상당수가 가족의 생계를 책임지고 있다며 보행자들의 공용공간인 인도에서 사고가 발생해 우울감과 불안감이 고조됐다,"고 설명했다.

He noted that the lack of clarity regarding the cause of the accident added to the distress. The driver claims a sudden, unintended acceleration, while police and experts remain skeptical, with the investigation ongoing.
그는 사고의 원인에 대한 명확성의 부족이 고통을 가중시켰다고 언급했다. 경찰과 전문가들은 조사가 계속되는 등 회의적인 태도를 보이고 있는 반면, 운전자는 의도하지 않은 급발진을 주장하고 있다.

"People usually feel that understanding the cause of an accident helps avoid and prevent it. The distress is amplified because the cause of this accident remains unclear, and the recent series of casualties has been unpredictable," he said.
그는 "사람들은 보통 사고의 원인을 이해하는 것이 사고를 피하고 예방하는 데 도움이 된다고 느낀다며 이번 사고의 원인이 불분명한 상태로 남아있고, 최근 인명피해가 속출하는 등 예측할 수 없는 상황이기 때문에 괴로움이 증폭되고 있다,"고 말했다.

Paik also highlighted the growing preval‎ence of indirect trauma. Recently, there have been numerous instances where the internet and social media have shown footage of accident scenes without blurring.
백씨는 또한 간접 트라우마의 확산이 증가하고 있다는 점을 강조했다. 최근 인터넷과 소셜 미디어에서 사고 장면을 흐릿하게 처리하지 않고 영상으로 보여준 사례가 많다.

"These unfiltered exposures make the trauma feel more immediate as if people are witnessing it firsthand," he said.
그는 "이런 여과되지 않은 노출은 마치 사람들이 직접 목격하는 것처럼 트라우마를 더욱 즉각적으로 느끼게 한다,"고 말했다.

Lim Myung-ho, a professor at the Department of Psychology and Psychotherapy at Dankook University, underscored that accumulated social anxiety is affecting the public.
임명호 단국대 심리심리치료학과 교수는 누적된 사회불안이 국민에게 영향을 미치고 있다고 강조했다.

"Citizens' anxiety has increased due to a series of fatal accidents, compounded by external factors such as economic instability and safety concerns," he said.
그는 "경제불안과 안전 우려 등 외부요인이 복합적으로 작용해 치명적인 사고가 잇따르면서 시민들의 불안감이 커졌다,"고 말했다.

Lim recommended that the government and local authorities implement counseling projects to address collective trauma and growing anxiety among the public and also encourage citizens to utilize these services.
임 교수는 정부와 지방자치단체가 국민들의 집단적 트라우마와 불안감 증가를 해소하고 시민들의 이러한 서비스 활용을 유도하기 위해 상담사업을 시행할 것을 권고했다.

#Carcrash자동차사고 #Victims피해자들 #Fear두려움 #Psychologicaltrauma심리적트라우마 #Unpredictabledisasters예측불가능한재난 #Citizens시민들 #Shock 충격 #Publicanxiety대중불안 #Investigation조사 #Counselingprojects상담사업