Memorial for stabbing victim Lee Chae-won calls for safer society

A memorial service for Lee Chae-won, a 17-year-old high school student who was a victim of a stabbing, drew over 400 citizens on Sunday in Gwangju. The service, held at the Citizen Cooperation Promotion Center, marked 49 days since her passing.

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It is not often that parents express gratitude for their child's affairs. I gave my first thanks when my daughter turned one, and I thought I would give thanks twice more when she got married, but I couldn't.

During the service, Lee's mother tearfully recalled her daughter's dream of becoming an emergency rescue worker and the "hope" her birth had represented. Yellow butterflies, a symbol that appeared at the crime scene and the memorial space, were distributed to attendees, with one organizer noting their presence felt like the victim herself had arrived.

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Chae-won's birth dream was 'hope.' Like her name, she gave warmth and brightness to her family and dreamed of becoming an emergency rescue worker since middle school to help those in need.

Friends and teachers shared farewell messages, bringing attendees to tears. The victim's father appealed to the public to unite in creating a safer society, stating, "Beyond remembering my daughter, please all work together to create a society where children are safe, so that this never happens again." The perpetrator's first court hearing is scheduled for Monday, with civil society groups planning a press conference to demand strict punishment.

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A yellow butterfly visited the memorial space set up at the crime scene after Chae-won passed away (May 8th). Butterflies also flew to the Citizen Cooperation Promotion Center, where the urn and memory space were set up, making it feel like Chae-won had come.