Do not go gentle into that good night, old age should burn and rave at close of day; Rage, rage against the dying of the light, though wise men at their end know dark is right, because their words had forked no lightning they, do not go gentle into that good night.
Life still hard for ferry Sewol survivors
A relative of a victim of the ferry Sewol tragedy bows her head and cries on a boat at the accident site in waters off Jindo Island, South Jolla Province, Saturday, five days before the first anniversary of the sinking. Almost a year after the incident, bereaved families and survivors are still experiencing trauma. / Yonhap
By Jhoo Dong-chan
By Jhoo Dong-chan
Nearly a year has passed since the sinking of the ferry Sewol, but the nightmare continues for survivors of the tragedy who experience difficulties adjusting back into their daily lives.
One of the surviving passengers, Kim Dong-soo, 51, who saved 20 students from the sinking ferry, attempted suicide on March 19. He slashed his wrist with a knife and passed out, but was found by his family and sent to a nearby hospital.
His injury was not life threatening, but Kim has had to undergo post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) treatment.
Kim says his life has been a “misery” and he cannot bear the dreadful memory of seeing the students he could not save in the windows of the sinking ferry.
Another survivor in his 40s, who refused to be named, developed PTSD much later.
He first thought PTSD was not an issue for him for almost eight months after the incident.
However, the tragic memories of the day suddenly started to disturb his life.
In December, the ferry sinking constantly came into his head. He suddenly became jumpy at even the smallest little noise. Sleepless nights ensued and he often failed to get to work on time.
He was eventually fired in February for frequent absences.
Experts have called for the government to build a long-term mental monitoring and management system for the survivors.
“The survivors seemed to have recovered from the stress 10 to 12 weeks after the incident. Since then there are many cases where PTSD suddenly developed long after the incident,” said professor Han Chang-su of Korean University Ansan Hospital.
Han conducted a survey on the stress disorder index of 38 surviving students from Danwon High School in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, in December.
The data suggested that many students were still suffering from the traumatic events.
The average stress level of the students was 24.8, exceeding the point of 20 that requires psychiatric consultation with specialists. The average insomnia level of the students also recorded 6.3 points, while a score of 4 or over is considered sleep deprived.
“It will take several years at least to manage the PTSD,” Yotam Polizer, head of Asian region at the Israel Forum for International Humanitarian Aid (IsraAID), told The Korea Times.
“At first, stress counseling should be done to help survivors and even the victims’ families to recover their emotional stability at the initial stage.”
Two days after being rescued, Kang Min-gyu, deputy head of Danwon High School, hanged himself with his belt from a tree outside a gym in the port city of Jindo Island where the families of missing students had gathered.
“Kang is considered to be a case of ‘survivor’s guilt,’ blaming himself for his survival while many of his young students died. Some people have such guilty feelings in the early stages of PTSD,” said Polizer.
“Once they become emotionally stabilized, counselors then help survivors accept reality. It requires years of constant counseling."
Shortly after Kang’s death, the Ministry of Health and Welfare established the Ansan Trauma Management Center in May in Ansan to help with the mental health of survivors as well as the victims’ families.
It is the first trauma management facility in Korea.
Many survivors, however, have not benefited from the facility’s mental care as most of them live far away from the facility. Only five survivors were using the facility as of April 3.
The student survivors of Danwon High School are also excluded from the facility’s psychiatric treatment, depending solely on several counselors’ school-visiting program on a rotation basis, said an official at the center.
Some survivors and with their families have also experienced economic difficulties after the incident.
In the case of Kim, his only means of making a living, a truck worth 100 million won, sank along with the ferry. No financial compensation for the loss has yet to be made. Due to the family’s economic difficulties, Kim’s wife and eldest daughter are working part-time jobs.
However, the ministry has refused to recognize him as “a person killed or injured for a righteous act,” asking him to submit additional documents proving physical and mental damage. For people who are recognized in this way, the government provides financial support and other benefits for education and employment.
The government has supported each survivor with 399,000 won ($365) per month. Even this was discontinued when the National Assembly passed a special bill for victims of the Sewol tragedy last December.
Another truck driver, Oh Young-sun, 53, who survived the incident, borrowed 20 million won from banks last September after suffering from economic distress.
“We lost everything in the sea. The government has yet to come up with any policies or bills to help us practically. Immediate compensation should be made,” said Oh.