The Untold Story of Resilience: Kiho Park's Journey Through Japan's 1995 Kobe Earthquake
On the fateful morning of 17 January 1995, a catastrophic seismic event wreaked havoc upon the port city of Kobe, Japan. This cataclysmic earthquake, registering a magnitude of 6.9 on the Richter scale, stands as one of the most formidable natural disasters in Japan’s extensive history. The quake exacted a devastating toll, claiming the lives of over 6,000 individuals and rendering more than 300,000 citizens homeless.
Among the innumerable lives profoundly altered by the tremors was that of Kiho Park, then an eight-year-old child, and his family. The calamitous event unfolded at precisely 5:46 am, jarring the Park family from their slumber. In the immediate aftermath, young Kiho and his sisters took the drastic measure of leaping from the second-floor balcony of their home to seek refuge. Reflecting on that harrowing morning, Kiho recounted, “I couldn’t understand what was going on around me… I thought maybe a huge truck or some monster has come into my house.”
Despite the perilous circumstances, Kiho experienced an adrenaline rush, a peculiar high induced by the urgency of the situation. “I’m sorry to say this, but I was kind of excited. It was weird to say, but I knew it was a huge emergency situation and I felt high on it,” he confessed. However, this initial excitement quickly dissipated as the gravity of the disaster set in, and the ensuing stress took its toll on young Kiho and his family.
The Park family’s ordeal did not conclude with the immediate aftermath of the earthquake. It took several arduous months for them to reclaim a semblance of normalcy and return to their home. Unfortunately for Kiho, the Kobe earthquake would not be the solitary seismic event he would endure in his lifetime. The trauma and uncertainty of that day left an indelible mark on his psyche.
Three decades later, Kiho Park remains acutely aware of the ever-present threat of earthquakes. In a poignant echo of his father’s preparations in 1995, Kiho maintains an emergency bag, perpetually ready to be grabbed at a moment’s notice. “I still feel huge trauma whenever I see TV footage of the Kobe earthquake,” Kiho admitted, underscoring the lasting emotional impact that the disaster had on him. Over the years, Kiho has also become an advocate for earthquake preparedness, frequently speaking at community events and schools. He emphasizes the importance of being prepared, not just physically but also emotionally, in order to build resilience against future quakes. For Kiho, the legacy of the Kobe earthquake is a call to action—a reminder that vigilance and readiness can save lives.