Flowers are laid near Seoul City Hall, Thursday, at the site where a deadly car crash killed nine people, Monday. Yonhap

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."

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.

"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.

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.

"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.

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.

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

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

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.

"After watching the CCTV footage, I realized the damage was inevitable, no matter how careful people were. It was completely unpredictable," he said.

"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."

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."

Bereaved families mourn and lay flowers at a memorial altar for victims of a lithium battery plant fire in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, Thursday. Yonhap

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

"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.

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.

"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.

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.

"These unfiltered exposures make the trauma feel more immediate as if people are witnessing it firsthand," he said.

Lim Myung-ho, a professor at the Department of Psychology and Psychotherapy at Dankook University, underscored that accumulated social anxiety is affecting the public.

"Citizens' anxiety has increased due to a series of fatal accidents, compounded by external factors such as economic instability and safety concerns," he said.

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.