By Kang Hyun-kyung
Staff Reporter
A psychiatrist observed that the sinking of the naval frigate Cheonan in the West Sea last Friday has left a similar legacy to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York nine years ago.
"There are similar patterns in people's reactions and the symptoms that were displayed in the wake of the two heart-wrenching incidents," Lee Na-mi, who received an M.D. and Ph.D. from Seoul National University, said.
In an interview with The Korea Times, Wednesday, Lee stated the two nations also had their own heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice during emergency rescue missions.
Lee worked with the C.G. Jung Institute of New York as a psychoanalyst when the United States was in collective shock after the worst ever terrorist attack on American soil in 2001.
Ground Zero in New York and the sunken warship in the West Sea of Korea are two very different catastrophic disasters, when it comes to the magnitude of victims and the nature of the incidents.
The former were terrorist attacks masterminded by Osama bin Laden, taking 2,751 innocent lives. The latter led to 46 South Korean sailors left missing. So far, what caused the ship to sink that night was not been explained.
The Ministry of National Defense said it is keeping all options open - including the possible role of North Korea - regarding the cause of the sinking.
Despite the differences, Lee saw commonalities between the two tragedies.
"Firefighters, policemen and women and rescue workers worked in the midst of toxic chemicals and dust to save lives at Ground Zero and their rescue operations took a heavy toll on their own lives, as well as health condition," she said.
No official tally is available for how many rescue workers died during or after the operations.
"After the sinking of the Navy ship, the nation has its own heroes," she said.
Trained maritime rescue workers risked their lives to save the missing sailors who were assumed to be trapped in the stern of the ship located on the seafloor.
On Tuesday, a 53-year-old veteran military diver Han Joo-ho died after suffering from decompression sickness.
The late Han dived to a depth of 45 meters underwater on three consecutive days for the rescue mission in the face of treacherous currents and cold temperatures.
Under safety rules, all divers are recommended to have two days off after each "deep sea" dive. But Han broke the rule in an effort to save the young sailors fighting for their lives, which led to his death.
Lee said there are other similarities between the two tragedies.
"After the worst terrorist attack on the United States, rumors and conspiracy theories mushroomed until the U.S. government made the official investigation results public."
"Following the sinking of the naval ship, a similar thing is happening here. A host of unproven stories, speculation and rumors are brewing online with regard to the cause of the incident."
Public confidence in government in both nations went down too as the general public believed the authorities were too slow in their response, she said.
"I remember people living in the Manhattan area were in shock and anger and the post-Sept. 11 symptoms lasted for a while," Lee recalled.
Like New Yorkers, Lee said the trauma that families of the missing sailors here suffer will continue for some time.
"They will hold on to the hope that their sons or siblings are still alive somewhere."
Lee said some parents may blame themselves bitterly. "They might feel guilty about letting their sons join the Navy, as there were other options their loved ones could have chosen such as the Army or Air Force. Some family members will want to find someone in the military or the government to take responsibility because military service here is mandatory."